Red
by Estella Claire
Summary: Edward's leaving again. But this time Bella's not the weak human she used to be. And she's not going to fall to her knees and beg that he stays. No, she's over that. This time she's leaving him, strong & vengeful. And what better way to get revenge than join the natural enemy: the Volturi? The original plan was to go for revenge but she might get more than bargained for from Caius.
1. Over You

**In this story, there won't be a Renesmee. **

**This story takes place after Breaking Dawn, but because Renesmee never existed, many events didn't occur. The war with the Volturi didn't occur, the meeting with other vampires such as Benjamin didn't occur, and Jacob never imprinted.**

**Additionally, Charlie will be unaware that there are werewolves and that Bella is different. He's just a normal human with no knowledge of the more fantastical, mythical world.**

**Edited: 10/11/13**

**Bella is OOC.**

Chapter 1- Over You

**Bella**

Edward and I were hunting in the forest near his house. He was acting strange, but I carefully ignored it. He was naturally a moody vampire.

He stopped running abruptly, and I screech to a halt next to him. I turned to him with a raised eyebrow and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Bella, Alice saw something the other day," he responded.

His normally soft and loving eyes were hardened and emotionless. His stance was rigid and his hands were clenched. That's when I began to feel nervous. That's when I started to realize that maybe, just maybe, there was a reason for his dismal appearance.

"What was the vision?" I questioned, gulping down an oncoming wave of fear.

Tension was suddenly thick in the air.

He closed his eyes, his forehead creasing, a sign of his frustration. They opened seconds later, and I saw that they were filled with venom tears that would never fall. He stepped away from me abruptly, causing me to step forwards towards him on instinct. He pulled back in response. Hurt and rejection filled me, and I stepped back cautiously.

"Bella, we're leaving," he finally announced.

I sighed in relief. "Oh, so you're upset because we're moving away from Charlie? You think I'll be sad. Don't worry, I understand. I'll be able to call him, text him, or email him. I mean, this is the 21st century."

"Bella, that's not it," he said.

Understanding filled me, but denial pushed the understanding aside.

"Then what is it?" I inquired, my voice deadly calm.

"My family and I are leaving... without you. Alice saw me with another woman. And she saw that woman as my… mate. My real mate," he whispered.

I shook my head wildly, not caring that I probably looked like a mad woman. "I'm part of your family, Edward. It's not 'your' family anymore. It's our family. And I am your mate. Her vision was wrong!"

"I'm not your mate anymore, Bella. My family and I are leaving. I'm doing this for your sake," he argued.

"No, you're not. Think about it. Where am I supposed to go? I can't live with Charlie. I'm a vampire, and he'll figure out something's going on when I can't go out early in the morning, or even in the afternoon. He'll be suspicious when I can't eat with him. You're not helping me! You're throwing me to the sharks!" I hissed.

"We know you can't live with him. That is why we recommend you join a coven. We're not going to be with the Denali coven at all, they're an option," he suggested, not even seeming like he cared that he was breaking my dead heart; shattering it into a myriad of minuscule pieces.

I ignored the throbbing pain that was resonating in my chest, and quietly asked,"Your family wanted to leave me, as well?"

One quick glance at his expression gave it away. They didn't want to leave me. Edward forced them to. But what he says next is different; a lie.

"Yes."

I expected to feel pain that he would lie to me; that he was leaving; that my whole family was leaving. But I didn't. I've been through that before. I've been through the loss of him before. And I wasn't going to react like I had last time. Last time, I had broken apart like a weak damsel-in-distress that couldn't survive without her conceited, stupid knight. But I wasn't the same person anymore, and I wouldn't act like that anymore. I was going to stand strong, and prove a point. I was going to prove that I could live without him. I was going to prove that it was he that couldn't live without me.

I stared at him straight in the eye, and evilly smiled.

"Alright, if that's what you want. You take care of our divorce. Say that I'm away, and can't be there. But I'll give you a signature of approval," I loftily replied.

I whipped out a piece of paper from the notepad I kept in my back pocket, and wrote: _Divorce Approval_ on top.

I signed quickly, ending with a flourish, and threw it at him. He was so shocked that he just let it flutter past his face, grazing his nose.

I turned away and prepared to sprint the heck out of there, but felt a hand touch my shoulder roughly. I spun around with a small sigh. That would've made such an amazing exit, but he just had to ruin it.

"Yes?" I demanded with a raised eyebrow.

"Bella, why are you so eager? Why aren't you sad? Don't tell me you've been seeing someone behind my back, and that's why you don't care. How did Alice miss this? How did I miss this?" He muttered to himself.

Oh my gosh, was he seriously doing this right now? What a jerk!

"Edward, I'm not cheating on you. For lord's sake, you're the one leaving me for another woman! And maybe I don't care that you're leaving me. Maybe I'm used to it. Maybe I'm just not that sad about this! Why, are you telling me that I should be sad? How could you play with my emotions that way?" I demanded.

His expression immediately turned to one of discomfort and regret, but I ignored it.

"Did you expect me to fall to my knees and cry, begging that you stay with me ?" I continued. "I did that once, and I'm not doing it again. I'm not going through that kind of hurt again, so just leave me alone."

I gave him one last glare, but before I could exit, he asked, his voice thick, "Will you be going to the Denali's?"

"Why should you care?" I wondered aloud.

"I want to be sure that you'll be safe," he replied, his expression pathetically miserable.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be absolutely safe," I replied scathingly.

"Just tell me, Bella. Don't be stubborn," he pleaded, obviously over the shocked stage.

"No, because _I_ don't even know where I'm going. I'll make my mind up later, when you're not around. Did you tell me where you were going? Nope, so see you." I laughed lightly, and his pained expression increased in tension.

And with that, I made my exit.

While running, I considered my options. I definitely wouldn't be going to the Denali's. I despised Tanya. She was rude, incompetent, belligerent, and just plain annoying. She obviously didn't like me either, so I was benefiting the both of us by not joining her coven.

Hanging with the wolves? Jacob had forgiven me so maybe he'd be okay with me being with him. But then again… I didn't develop feelings for him in the past few weeks, and when he heard Edward and I were done, he might think that I was giving him a chance. And I can't reject him again; I can't hurt him again.

Then, something amazing occurred to me.

I could join the Volturi.

I was now a vampire with a gift that might come in handy to them. They would want me to join them, and I would gladly do so. This would show Edward that I had moved on.

Yes, this was perfect.


	2. My New Beginning

**I realized that I didn't have a disclaimer in the last chapter, and then realized that I would most likely forget for each chapter. So here's a disclaimer for the whole story: I don't own Twilight. Stephenie Meyer does. (Boring, but what can I say? It's the disclaimer, not the story.)**

**Thank you for all of your kind words and encouragement! I almost passed out when I saw how many emails I had received from fanfiction. **

**This takes place one year after Breaking Dawn ends.**

**Edited- 10/12/13**

Chapter 2- My New Beginning

**Bella**

I ran for a day or two, without rest. My resolve was firm. I was going to join the Volturi guard, and nothing could stop me. Although I was doing this for the revenge, I was also doing this for myself. If I didn't do this, I'd probably spend every day of my life alone and nostalgic. And that would just be sad.

I was running through a swampy forest, when suddenly, something crashed into me. I flew back, and landed on my feet, my feet skidding on the mossy floor. I let out a growl and crouched in a defensive stance. I quickly looked at opponent, and gasped in surprise.

Because standing right in front of me, was Jake. His formerly long, shaggy hair had been cut messily into a spiky, short hairdo, and he had a scowl on his russet toned face. He was wearing denim shorts that had a myriad of holes and loose threads sticking out in random areas. I relaxed and stood up straight, brushing dirt off my clothes.

"Jake, what are you doing here!" I exclaimed.

"I went to visit you at the leeches' place and found the mansion empty. Obviously, I panicked and searched Forks for you guys. I couldn't find their scent, but I caught onto yours, which is gag-worthy by the way, and followed you. I had planned to keep quiet the whole time, but I guess I'm just too fast for you," he smugly replied before regaining his annoyed expression.

"Where are you going?" He continued.

I sighed. "It's none of your concern, Jake. Just leave it alone."

He chuckled. "You really think I'll just let you go?"

"I can outrun you," I pointed out, secretly knowing that I probably wouldn't be able to.

"No, you can't," he voiced.

"I might be able to… You know what? Just leave, Jake. Don't make this harder than it needs to be. Edward…well, he left me and I need some time alone. That's why I'm leaving Forks for a little while." _More like forever. _

His eyes widened briefly before returning back to their normal size. He took a step back before bowing his head down slightly. "I see… I didn't expect this. I'm so sorry, Bella."

And for a quick moment, my heart filled with pain, ripping my insides apart. I took in an unneeded long breath and reassured him, "It's fine, Jake. But now you understand why I need to leave, right?"

He hesitated before nodding reluctantly. "Just don't forget you have a friend waiting at Forks, alright?"

I pranced over to him and lightly embraced him, before stepping back. I looked him straight in the eye and sternly said, "Jake, find someone, okay? For me."

"I can't say that I will, Bells. Stay safe," he said.

And with that, he phased back into a wolf and ran off, but not before giving me a huge lick. I giggled and slapped him away. That was the last interaction we would have for a while, if not forever. It saddened me, because Jake was like my sun. He had been my sun when I was a human, miserable and dejected, and he would always be my sun.

I sighed softly before beginning to run again. I was almost there, and although that moment before had rocked me a bit, I was still as vengeful as ever.

Finally, by the next night, I reached Volterra. I had taken a break right after my encounter with Jake to hunt, so my eyes were topaz yellow, and I felt satisfied.

I slowed my pace. I was starting to have second thoughts. Would they want me? I was connected to the Cullen's, which might make them suspicious of me. And although they did have a vampire who could tie people together, I doubted that would work on me. That power was a mental illusion.

And furthermore, even if I did join the Volturi, did I have the will to so easily kill innocents, or even the dirtiest of vampires? And would joining them affect my vegetarian ways?

_Stop, Bella. You came all the way here for a reason, so stick with it._

But it didn't seem as nice of an idea as it had before.

_Stop making excuses. You know you want this. Remember how Edward hurt you? How they all hurt you? Although his family didn't make the choice, outright, they still left with him, and that was wrong. Well, this is payback time, Bella. _

You're right, inner-self. I don't regret a thing. Aro, here I come.

I reached the castle and walked in, my head held high. I approached the human woman sitting behind the desk, blocking the entrance to the hallway that would lead to the room where my future would begin. She took one look at me and fluffed her red-gold hair slightly, her blue eyes widening. She was clearly aware of what I was.

"Who, may I ask, are you?" She said.

I smiled sweetly at her, and she audibly gulped. "I'm Bella. Tell Aro that, and he'll let me in."

She nodded quickly and headed to the doors, her high heels clacking on the floor loudly. I sat down in one of the available chairs- not that I needed to- and briefly wondered why they had chairs in the first place. The only humans, besides the secretaries, that came here, were to be eaten almost immediately.

The secretary came back in and slid back behind her desk. She beamed at me and gestured towards the doors. "He is waiting for you."

I briskly nodded. "Thank you…" I pointedly looked at her and she hurriedly filled in, "Bryanne."

"Thank you, Bryanne."

"My pleasure."

I used my vampire speed to reach the main room as quickly as possible, and when I pushed the doors open, I saw the main guard waiting for me, as well as the three leaders. Aro beamed at me and I ambled in further until I was standing a couple of feet away from the three royal figures.

"Isabella Cullen… what a splendid surprise!" He cried out.

"Bella… Swan," I corrected him.

"Oh, did something happen between you and Mr. Cullen?" He asked, his head slightly tilted to the left, making him look like a dog.

_Obviously, dim-wit. _"Yes, he feels there is another woman for him," I answered.

Raising an eyebrow, he gazed at me, silently asking me to continue.

"Alice had a vision of him with another woman. She supposedly claimed that this woman would be Edward's future mate. Edward thought that leaving me would be best for both him and me."

"Ah, I see. Young love is stupid, I must admit. Now, you didn't come here to ask us to kill you, I assume?" He said.

I laughed, causing him to raise an eyebrow in surprise. "No, I have come for a much different reason. You see, I'm not the weak human I used to be. I am stronger, both physically and mentally, and I don't want to grieve over him again. I am ready to move on in life; move onto a new epoch of my life."

"Yes, and how does this relate to us?" He asked, although judging from his excited face, he knew already.

"If you would have me, I'd like to join the guard. I want to be able to completely move on, and this is the only option that seems plausible to me." _That's not the only reason, however._

"Of course we'd like to have you, Isabella!" He jovially replied, clapping his hands together.

"My brothers agree, don't they?" He turned to them and the one I remember as being Marcus thought for a moment, searching the air for a quickly before nodding. The one I remember as being Caius developed a grimace on his perfect face and hissed, "We don't know if this girl is telling the truth, Aro. She may very well be coming on request of the Cullen's. It may all be a lie!"

I glared at him and he glared right back at me, his crimson eyes darkening in anger. "I assure you that I'm not a spy or whatever you think I am," I calmly told him.

"Why should we trust you? It's not like my brother could use his powers on you with your ability, so we have no basis on which to trust you," he pointed out.

"Edward left me. Why would I help his family with anything?" I shot right back.

"How do we know he really left you?" Caius demanded.

I smirked. "Ask your bond-reading guy over there to confirm my claims." I tilted my head slightly towards Marcus, who nodded.

He took a moment before softly telling Caius and Aro, "She's telling the truth, brothers. Her relationship with Edward is severed."

Caius frowned, but remained silent.

Aro clapped like a little girl, a smile illuminating his face and exclaimed, "Perfect! Isabella, you may join us."

"Bella," I muttered quietly.

Aro laughed. "Isabella, I am an ancient vampire. I believe in full names rather than shorter versions or nicknames. Excuse me, but it's a natural habit. Now, may Jane try her powers on you once more?"

I rolled my eyes at his refusal to call me 'Bella', and nodded stiffly. I knew it wouldn't work, but there was always a reason to fear the ones who don't fear. Jane, as little as ever, gracefully glided out from her position in the guard and stood right in front of me. I could literally see every little detail of her face. She gave me a vindictive smile before closing her eyes.

I smirked. Even though she knew it wouldn't work, she still tried to scare me. After a few seconds, Jane opened her eyes and I could see the clear disappointment and anger shining in the crimson red. She walked back to her position and said in her soprano voice, "Master, it still doesn't seem to be working."

"Wonderful! Alec?"

The boy who was Jane's twin brother walked out with a bored expression on his face. He seemed to know it wouldn't work, and thought this was a waste of time. Well, he was certainly more intelligent than his sister.

He only tried for a second or two before shaking his head and gliding away. Aro smiles brightly before announcing, "Well, now that we have established the extent of Isabella's powers, Felix, can you escort her to a room in the main hallway? Somewhere nice and close to the rest of ours."

A big, bulky man stepped out and nodded. He walked towards the door and I followed him. When we were out of the room, he lost the cool facade and turned to me with a wide smile on his face, closely resembling Emmett.

"Hi, I'm Felix, as you know. I'll call you Bella, although that old geezer back there refused to." He slapped a hand over his mouth and then lowers it slowly, looking sheepish.

"Don't mention that I said that about him," he pleaded.

I laughed. Finally, here was some comic relief in this dark, gloomy castle of doom. "Don't worry. I won't tell 'the old geezer' anything bad you say about him."

He ruffled my hair and approvingly replied, "You're not bad for a Cullen lover. Thanks."

"No problem, and I am not a Cullen lover," I grumbled.

"Says you… you even smell like him. Ugh, vegetarian scent is not appealing," he said disgustedly, while he wrinkled his nose.

"It's not perfume. It's eating habit," I smirked.

"Whatever. Here we are. I'm surprised Aro placed you here. This hallway is reserved for the more esteemed and useful vampires of the guard. You know… like me, Demetri, Jane, Alec, Renata, Chelsea, and so on."

"Well, I'm honored," I replied cynically.

He chuckled and opened the door for me. "Enjoy. I'm going to head back so don't worry. I won't be waiting outside or anything. Adios, Bella."

And with that, he left.

I didn't know what to do here. I was a vampire. Did they expect me to go to sleep or eat food?

One thing was certain: They were terrible hosts.

**Author's Note- Thank you for reading. **


	3. A Vision of Love

**Thank you to all those who reviewed, alerted, or favorited this story.**

**This chapter will be in Edward's point of view, and it starts from where he and Bella are hunting in the forest. You might get a bit annoyed with Edward in this chapter… He can be a real jerk. Oh, I forgot to mention. I didn't plan on making this happen, but Edward will be OOC.**

**To answer your question, Guest: Now that I think about it, she really should have taken a plane, because running is not possible. Let's ignore that small, stupid mistake I made, shall we? Thanks for pointing that out to me.**

**Edited- 10/12/13**

Chapter 3- A Vision of Love

**Edward **

I was waiting for Bella to finish her meal: a deer. I was standing far away from her, and thinking about something Alice saw the other day.

_~ Flashback ~_

_ Bella was out with Rosalie. They were hunting together in an effot to get closer as sisters. Although Rosalie had acted more warmly towards Bella ever since the change, she was still hostile. Bella desperately wanted to change that, so she suggested that she and Rosalie hunt together. At first, Rosalie had been a bit skeptical that Bella really wanted to, but she had reluctantly accepted, and they were out now._

_ Jasper and Emmett were hunting as well, but in another portion of North America, as they understood that Bella wanted bonding time with Rosalie. Carlisle was in his study upstairs and Esme was in the living room, enthusiastically searching for new paint colors for the walls on a laptop._

_ It was just Alice and me in the game room, which held the entertainment, such as the television and foosball table. It was silent in the room, as it usually was when it was just the two of us. Alice was thinking about her next shopping trip, and I was bored waiting for my love to come back home._

_ Suddenly, Alice's eyes went blank, and her form slackened. Just from these motions, I knew that I was about to get sucked into another one of her visions. I closed my eyes. I might as well get comfortable, because this might be another long one._

_ What I saw next scared me. It was me… with another woman. The angle was set so I could see the woman's face, and only the back of my body as we kissed. And for a moment, I couldn't help but appraise the sensual curves that the woman had; her flawless alabaster skin, and the way her golden-blonde hair flowed down her body, accentuating each and every curve. I couldn't help but appraise her thick, black eyelashes and thinness of her waist; her full, pink lips against my own._

_ She pulled back and opened her eyes. I marveled at the beauty of them. They were topaz like my own, but more beautiful. They sparkled with charisma and charm, and held flecks of bright gold against a darker yellow backdrop. _

_ She cocked a thin golden eyebrow and said in an alluring, trilling voice, "Eddie, I'm so glad we're mates. We're made for each other."_

_ I should've been annoyed that she was calling me Eddie, but I wasn't. With her, everything was fine. She was allowed to call me whatever she wanted to call me._

_ The me in the vision replied, "And I am as well. Vera, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me."_

_ She purred, and we were at it again._

_ I was sucked out of the vision abruptly, and I opened my eyes. Shock and shame filled me. What in the world was I thinking back there? I have a mate: Bella. She was my love. She was the woman I would be with forever._

_ But at that moment, something clicked in my mind. I didn't love Bella like I thought I had. The thing was- and I never told anyone this no matter how much I wanted to- that I felt like the only reason I loved Bella was because of her scent. That freesia, strawberry scent lured me to her, but when she became a vampire and that scent was gone, my love for her diminished dramatically. _

_ She had expressed her worries about this. That I'd feel this way about her. But at the time I had thought it was a ridiculous worry. But now, I was coming to realize that it was true._

_ I turned to Alice and saw fear and bewilderment etched into her face. _

_ I listened to her thoughts, curious as to what her opinions on the subject matter were._

'Oh dear, Edward really shouldn't have seen that. He's going to overreact, and leave Bella again. I can't let that happen. Oh my lord, he's probably listening right now. I'll sing a song! Woke up on the right side of the bed, what's up with this Prince song inside my head? Hands up if you're down to get down tonight. Oh brother, there's no point… Hello there bro.'

_I chuckled lightly before coming to terms with the seriousness of this situation. _

_ I muttered, "What am I going to do?"_

_ Alice groaned loudly. "Edward, please don't tell me you're going to do anything about that vision. It was probably nothing. Really, just let it go. Forget it ever happened. You can't hurt Bella again just because of a vision I had that may never even come true._

_ I thought about what she said… But I had liked what I saw in the woman. I liked that she may be my future mate, as sick and wrong that may sound. _

_ "But Alice, I liked her," I murmured guiltily._

_ She gasped. "No, Edward. Get that thought out of your head right this instant." She glared at me and I shot one right back at her._

_ "Alice, you can't tell me to love someone if I don't have the will to. I've made up my mind. I'm telling Bella we're leaving."_

_ It was an impulse decision, but now that I really thought about it, it seemed alright with me. Bella wasn't that beautiful… and she had that mongrel on her tail all the time. I didn't want to deal with her anymore._

_ "Oh, Edward. I'm not telling you to love someone you don't. But I'm saying that you might still love her. That vision might've been a misconception or something that… Oh, I don't know, but you get my drift. Please, consider that before you do anything. Or talk with Carlisle." _

_ "Fine, I'll do that right now," I replied stiffly._

_ I ran upstairs before she could protest and knocked on Carlisle's door lightly. He heard it, of course and called out, "Come in."_

_ He was currently flipping through files, but when he saw it was me, he pushed everything aside and gestured that I sit down across from him. Alice ran in behind me and he, surprised, gestured again for the both of us to sit, although it wasn't necessary._

_ We took him up on the offer and saw down. He scanned our faces and asked, "What happened?"_

_ I talked before Alice could, "Alice saw a vision of me with another woman. And that woman was my mate."_

_ Carlisle's eyes widened but returned to their normal size almost immediately. He turned to Alice. "Is this completely true?"_

_ "Yes… but it might've been a deception!" She said reluctantly._

_ "Yeah, right Alice. That vision was as clear as day," I scoffed._

_ Carlisle raised an eyebrow and asked, "What do you think about this situation, Edward?"_

_ And this is when things began to get a bit awkward. "Well, I felt a bit… attracted to her physical appearance and when she spoke… everything felt right. I realized now that I might not love Bella though I thought I did."_

_ He closed his eyes and sighed. He opened them again and asked, "And what do you plan to do about it?"_

_ "I'm going to tell Bella, and we'll go our separate ways," I confirmed his fears._

_ "Edward, this will put our family in an uncomfortable situation, but if this is what you choose, then so be it. We'll have a family discussion later on. But you have to understand this family has gotten close to Bella, and it won't be easy for you to convince them. You only managed to convince me because you seemed so sure. But if, in the future, you have second thoughts, then I can't help you."_

_ Alice gasped from beside me and shrieked, "Carlisle, how can you accept this? Edward's not thinking straight!"_

_ I growled at her and I could feel my eyes darkening. "I'm thinking straight, for sure. Don't tell me how I should live my life, Alice. If you were really my sister, than you would back me up on this."_

_ She backed down slightly, but not fully. "But... Bella is my sister as well."_

_ "Has she been with you longer than I have? No."_

_ She looked away, deep in thought and I didn't bother trying to peruse her mind. I wasn't too unconcerned with her._

_ Later on, the whole family assembled in the den. Carlisle smartly sent Bella out to pick up some clothes that Alice ordering through the laptop. Bella had been confused as to how this couldn't wait, but did it anyway. When it came to Alice and shopping, anything was believable._

_ Right now, friendly chatter was going on among the couples, but Carlisle interrupted the peace by announcing, "We're going to start now. Edward, tell the tale."_

_ He nodded at me and I grimaced. He was right. The rest of the family would not love this… at all. They had all come to love Bella, as a sister, or daughter. _

_ But they loved me more… I knew this for a fact._

_ "Guys, Alice had a vision… In it, I was with another woman… my real mate. I'm leaving Bella. I'd rather her find out now than later. So, do you guys support me on this?"_

_ Esme gently chided, "Don't you think you're being a bit irrational? You and Bella are the perfect match, and you two have been through a lot. You left her once… do you really want to leave her again?"_

_ "Do you really want me to pretend like I'm in love with her?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. I knew I wasn't being fair, but life wasn't fair._

_ "No, of course not! But Edward, you do realize that you're making me choose between my son and my daughter."_

_ "Well, who have you known more?" I pointed out, unfairly._

_ Everyone went silent. Their faces were grim and miserable. I tapped into their thoughts._

_ Rosalie: '_Edward… that jerk. How could he make us choose like this? What an idiot! I don't love Bella, but I'm getting there. And now, Edward has to make us pick among the two of them as if we were picking what type of purse we wanted. And he even brought out the big guns. Who did I know more? Well, obviously him.'

_Alice: '_Edward, I know you're listening.'

_Jasper: '_How am I supposed to come to a decision when everyone else's indecisive moods are piling on top of mine?'

_Esme:'_Edward, you know I knew you for much longer.'

_Carlisle: '_Son, you were my first companion.'

_Emmett: '_Well, isn't this an uncomfortable situation.'

_ "Let's take a vote, shall we?" Carlisle asked._

_ Everyone nodded dejectedly._

_ "Esme?"_

_ "I can't make Edward love someone he doesn't. I can only hope that Bella won't take this too hard."_

_ "I agree," said Carlisle._

_ "I guess I do too," Emmett nodded._

_ "Whatever," Rosalie muttered._

_ "I already know the outcome. So, when are we leaving?" Alice asked with a frown on her face._

_ "Soon," I replied._

_ Then, I walked upstairs to my room, turned up the music loud, plugged in headphones, and closed my eyes. I didn't want to see anyone's expressions or hear their afterthoughts. My decision was made and they couldn't change it._

_ I shouted to Alice before I could get lost in my own world, "Don't look into Bella's future… ever. Starting from now, alright? If I'm leaving her permanently, I want to do it right. And that means completely blocking her from my life."_

_ "Fine," she answered stiffly._

_~ End Flashback ~_

Bella finished and ran up to me with a big smile on her face. I nodded in a jerky motion and we proceeded to run back home. We were almost there when I suddenly got a feeling: like this was the right time to tell her.

I stopped abruptly and she screeched to a halt beside me.

She turned to me, with one eyebrow raised. "What's wrong?" She asked.

I gulped and came right out with it. "Bella, Alice saw something the other day."

**Author's Note- Thank you for reading. **


	4. Just a Facade

**Thank you for the support, guys! I loved reading your insults about Edward :)**

**Question: This was originally supposed to be a Caius/Bella story, but would you guys rather have someone else from the Volturi guard be her future lover?Examples would be: Alec, Marcus, or Felix? I would really love your input.**

**(Resolved)**

**Edited- 10/13/13**

Chapter 4- Just a Facade

**Edward**

Bella eyes widened and I could hear an audible gulp. She asked, her normally steady voice, scared and trembling, "What was the vision?"

I couldn't keep myself from crying. Venomous tears pooled at the insides of my eyelids and I stepped back, away from Bella. I never realized that it would make me so sad to end my relationship with Bella. I never realized how deep in I was.

_No, Edward. You'll be happier with Vera. Much happier. _

Bella stepped towards me again, her hand reaching for mine. I stepped back, knowing that I couldn't physically interact with her, without feeling pity or misery. Rejection was clear on her face, and I had to look away for a second before turning back to her, tears gone from my now hardened eyes, and coldly confessing, "Bella, we're leaving."

Relief developed on her face and I was momentarily confused, before she cleared it up for me.

"Oh, so you're upset because we're moving away from Charlie? You think I'll be sad. Don't worry, I understand. I'll be able to call him, text him, or email him. I mean, this is the 21st century," she said with a sigh.

Denial: avoidance of the hard, cold truth.

A smile tugged at the edges of my lips, but I firmly willed it away. "Bella, that's not it."

Complete understanding filled her face but she chose, once again, to deny the truth and, in a calm voice, she asked, "Then what is it?"

"My family and I are leaving... without you. Alice saw me with another woman. And she saw that woman as my… mate. My real mate," I whispered.

The air was still, before Bella shook her head in a wild manner and shrieked, "I'm part of your family, Edward. It's not 'your' family anymore. It's our family. And I am your mate. Her vision was wrong!"

When would the pathetic denial end? She wouldn't have even met my family if it weren't for me, so technically, my family was solely, and only mine if I so chose it to be.

"I'm not your mate anymore, Bella. My family and I are leaving. I'm doing this for your sake" I coldly replied.

"No, you're not. Think about it. Where am I supposed to go? I can't live with Charlie. I'm a vampire, and he'll figure out something's going on when I can't go out early in the morning, or even in the afternoon. He'll be suspicious when I can't eat with him. You're not helping me! You're throwing me to the sharks!," Bella pointed out, her eyes narrowed, and her face filled with desperation and confusion.

Now she was just making up excuses, and foolish excuses at that.

"We know you can't live with him. That is why we recommend you join a coven. We're not going to be with the Denali coven at all, they're an option," I replied, now getting a bit bored.

"Your family wanted to leave me, as well?" She questioned, the hurt obvious in her face.

What could I say? If I claimed that they didn't, she would immediately go to them, and beg that they stay with her. I remembered the reluctance with which my family agreed to stick with me. They would definitely take her in if she pleaded.

So, I lied. "Yes."

One look at her face showed me that she knew I was lying. Oh well.

I expected her to break down at my feet, or implore that I stay with her. I expected her to apologize profusely. Heck, I would have even expected her to stumble away from me without a backwards glance, too grief-filled to care.

However, I did **not **expect her to have evilly smiled at me and said, "Alright, if that's what you want. You take care of our divorce. Say that I'm away, and can't be there. But I'll give you a signature of approval"

But that's exactly what she did.

Too much in shock, before I could realize what was happening, she threw a little piece of notepad paper in my face with her signature signed on it. It fluttered past me gently as I tried to absorb what was happening. What was happening? I came to reject her, but was I getting rejected instead? Why wasn't she reacting like she had the first time I left her? If she had, I would've felt more powerful... less caring of her feelings.

She turned away from me and prepared to run, but before I knew what I'm doing, I touched her shoulder softly, to prevent her from leaving. This was not how I imagined this scene would look like. Her leaving me? No way.

She turned around and I thought I heard her release an annoyed sigh… at me. "Yes?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Bella, why are you so eager? Why aren't you sad? Don't tell me you've been seeing someone behind my back, and that's why you don't care. How did Alice miss this? How did I miss this?" I muttered.

How had I not seen it before? No wonder she was leaving me so happily. No one would be rejected by me, and still be happy with their life. I mean, c'mon! I was Edward Cullen, an Adonis, a Greek god!

Anger. That's all I saw on Bella's face. And it confused me. How could she be angry at me? She was the one that was cheating on me! She was the one who threw a piece of paper at my face, and almost left without clarifying what her intentions were.

"Edward, I'm not cheating on you. For lord's sake, you're the one leaving me for another woman! And maybe I don't care that you're leaving me. Maybe I'm used to it. Maybe I'm just not that sad about this! Why, are you telling me that I should be sad? How could you play with my emotions that way?" She demanded.

During her monologue, a flash of pain and regret passed through me, but by the end, I was just more bewildered than I had been before. I didn't say anything.

"Did you expect me to fall to my knees and cry, begging that you stay with me ?" She continued. "I did that once, and I'm not doing it again. I'm not going through that kind of hurt again, so just leave me alone."

She glared at me, her topaz eyes piercing right through me. It knocked me a step back. Before she can actually leave, I asked, "Will you be going to the Denali's?"

"Why should you care?" She asked.

"I want to be sure that you'll be safe," I replied, knowing that that was not the real reason. I wanted to be able to check up on her once in a while. Not to make sure she was faring well, but to see who her future mate would be.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be absolutely safe," she replied scathingly.

"Just tell me, Bella. Don't be stubborn," I hissed, done with being shocked. I was done looking like the dumb one. Now, I was just annoyed.

"No, because _I_ don't even know where I'm going. I'll make my mind up later, when you're not around. Did you tell me where you were going? Nope, so see you." She laughed lightly.

How could she laugh in such a situation?

_Well, Edward, you were going to smile back there._

Not the point.

She then left, swiveling on her heels and running in the opposite direction of my house.

Now, over the shock, I smirked.

That was easier than I had thought it would be. She was probably just putting on an 'I-don't-care' façade throughout the whole thing. Right now, she was most likely sobbing, or wandering around aimlessly.

I headed back home and the only thing I was thinking was: I've always claimed that I favored brunettes, but I guess blondes were always my thing.

**Author's Note- Edward's mood was all over the place in this chapter, which could've ****been confusing. But he's not the Edward we all know, and (possibly) love.**

**Thank you for reading.**


	5. First Mission, First Murder

Okay… so after looking at your reviews and preferences, and after _much_ deliberation, I have decided to keep it the way it is: as Caius/Bella. Most of you wanted this and to those who wanted Marcus, I'm sorry. But someone brought up the problem of Marcus being able to read bonds. He would've already known at this point in the story, and I really don't want to have to rewrite anything. But I know how to deal with Caius' wife. Those who like her and Caius together, and wanted the three wives to be close friends, I'm also sorry. But Marcus will find his place in the story and so will some other characters.

But I need to say something: I almost died of happiness when I saw how many reviews I got for last chapter, even if they were mostly to answer the question I asked. That many reviews for one chapter? Astounding. Thank you so much!

Anyway, see you at the bottom! There are plush dolls of Jasper there, since we all despise Edward at the moment… I assume.

* * *

_Bella_

After two days of me constantly pacing and letting out annoyed groans of exasperation, someone finally knocks on my door. Adrenaline rushes through me, fused by my anger. I growl lowly, baring my teeth as I feel venom coat them.

I open the door using vampire speed and spit out, "You guys know that I'm not an animal- well to some people I am, but not the point- and I really don't need to be caged up! Especially in a room with nothing but human necessities!"

The person- well, vampire- on the other side, Jane, rolls her eyes and replies in a bored manner, "Isabella, calm down. You're wanted in the throne room."

I sarcastically reply, "You mean the feeding room? Where you guys kill innocent human beings to sate your thirst, when you can easily feed on animal blood? Oh, I know that room!" I feign sudden recognition.

She hisses lowly, "Look, if you were going to be difficult, why did you even come?"

I think about that. She was right. My plan was to fit right in and do it without complaint or troubles. But I was pretty frustrated right now. This was not exactly what I had in mind when I thought of myself joining the Volturi.

"Maybe it's because you guys locked me in here for two days… straight! And maybe I was bored out of my mind."

"So why didn't you try and escape? Of course, it wouldn't work, but it would display your annoyance and Aro would have possibly beckoned you earlier. He was under the impression that you wanted some alone time," she replies with her arms crossed.

_Maybe it's because I don't have a reason to leave. Maybe it's because some idiot jerk named Edward left me and gave me a reason to join the royalty of the vampire world because I was feeling pretty vengeful. _"I have my reasons," I reply coldly.

"Whatever, let's go."

I stiffly nod and we walk to the throne room at human speed. The whole time, an awkward silence hung over us, threatening to make me blurt out something… anything.

But I don't. I was still kind of annoyed and Jane didn't seem the type to respond to mindless, stupid questions.

As soon as we reach the throne room, I sigh in relief and she looks over at me, a smirk on her face. "So you're not cool and confident all the time, huh?"

I raise an eyebrow. "I wasn't, actually, until 2 days ago."

"Nice to know you weren't always a jerk," she smirks again.

Harsh… but I really didn't care at this point. Our time together was over and I confirmed something: she was as rude as I thought she was when I first saw her, when I was a human. She reminded me of Rosalie except she was about 1 foot shorter, and fun sized version.

Hmm, that could be a beautiful new nickname for her. It would both annoy her and amuse me.

She pushes the door open and slides through. I catch it as it closes and roll my eyes. I walk in and see Aro and the rest of the guard waiting there, silent.

Aro chuckles as he sees Jane rejecting me so obviously and my uncaring façade at it. I walk to the center of the room and ask, "So, after 2 days, what seems to be so important that you request me… finally?"

He smiles and I hear a hiss from behind him. I look over his shoulder and see Caius. His crimson red eyes are narrowed and his mouth is set into a sour pucker.

Aro turns around and soothes him, "Brother, it is fine. It's reasonable that Isabella is angry with me. Now, this is the moment when you officially become a part of the Volturi guard. You'll be part of the higher guard along with Jane, Alec, Felix, Demetri, Heidi, Chelsea, Afton, Santiago, Corin, and Renata. I now present you with your cloak and pendant."

He looks in the general direction of the "higher guard" and asks, "Renata?"

A vampire with black hair and bright red eyes comes up to me, holding a black cloak and a pendant. She hands it over to before flitting back to her place right behind Aro. I remember that she was the physical shield and Aro's personal bodyguard.

I take a brief look at the pendant. It was a metallic silver color and had a darker gray sheen to it. Nestled in the center of the pendant was a red gem in the shape of a V. I put it on quickly and nod. I drape the cloak over my shoulders and nod.

As if reading my mind, Aro says, "You are now part of the Volturi guard. Your name is now changed to Isabella Marie Volturi. Welcome."

The guard members all slightly tilt their heads towards me and I nod. I've been doing a whole lot of nodding today, haven't I?"

Aro claps to get the attention of everyone, although he could've merely muttered, "Quiet." He was always one for dramatics.

"Well, now that we have _that_ done with, I will get on with the second reason I have called you to this room. I present you with your first job. Today, Demetri mentioned that there are two vampires, mates, who are building up a newborn army. Supposedly, their intentions are to overthrow us. I want you to handle them. Several of my guard will be joining you. The newborn army only has a population of 14, but it is steadily growing. Now, you will be playing an enormous part in this. One of their newborns has the ability to place images into the mind. It's, of course, all a mental illusion and your shield is going to come in handy," he explains.

Hmm, my first mission. And so soon… interesting.

"Should we bring them back unharmed? You might want them to join the guard."

"No, I don't want dirtied material," he cruelly replies.

Cruel, but a good point. "Who else will be coming with me?"

"Jane, Caius, Felix, and Demetri," he says.

Caius blurts out, "Why me?"

"Brother, you know we always have at least one leader when it comes to the more dramatic excursions," Aro responds pointedly.

"Yes, but can it be you this time? I promised Athenodora that I would take her… somewhere tomorrow."

I take a look at Athenodora to see she looks confused and lost. I snicker quietly as I realize that the reason he doesn't want to come is me. I didn't realize that someone could so easily develop a grudge on someone. What did I ever do?

I pitch in, "Where?"

He looks at me with a deadly expression on his face. "It's none of your concern, Cullen-lover."

"I'm no longer a Cullen-lover. Just accept the fact that you're coming and stop making up excuses and bring your poor wife into it."

I turn on my heels and walk out of the room as I hear Caius growling lowly.

Somebody needs anger management classes.

* * *

The next day, I'm ready in my cloak and pendant. Jane, Caius, Felix, and Demetri are all waiting outside and as I approach them, I realize that the only happy ones are Felix and Demetri, who look eager to go on this trip. Meanwhile, Jane looks incredibly bored with the typical stony expression on her face and Caius looks extremely angry about something.

But then again, his natural face expression was always a frown and wrinkled eyebrows. What a downer on such an exciting day. I smile widely, hoping to make a better impression than I did yesterday, as I was going to be staying here for a while.

"Hi guys, so where are we headed?"

Jane and Caius remain silent while Felix replies, "Nearby. It seems that they had been working from right underneath our noses. Those sneaky, little buggers."

I giggle softly while reminiscing. He smiles, a questioning look in his eyes, and asks, "What's so funny?"

"You sort of sound like my dad, Charlie."

He chuckles, his smile widening even more. "Well, isn't that nice. Okay, let's head off. We've got a long day ahead of us."

He shoots off at vampire speed and the rest of us follow him. Soon, we arrive at our destination: a large cemetery with very few gravestones. The trees wilt from lack of care, and the whole area gives off a frightening aura. What a fitting place for a group of blood-thirsty vampires to assemble and strengthen themselves.

Demetri takes control, immediately finding a trail. However, based on the many smells bombarding my nose, it doesn't take an experienced tracker to confirm that there are vampires here.

We quietly jump over the fence blocking us from the cemetery and catch sight of a large group of vampires, ranging in all ages, fighting each other. It wasn't serious fighting; just practice.

One of them catches sight of us and squeaks nervously. "Guys!"

Every one of them stops, takes one look at us, and takes off in the opposite direction. It was clear that they weren't prepared for an attack. Jane smiles deviously, the familiar glint arising in her eyes, and immediately releases her power. Silent, but lethal- that expression has never been more true that it is now for Jane. If I was anyone other than myself, vampire or not, I would have peed in my pants in fear.

No matter how powerful her ability is, the range is quite small, and she can only take so many vampires with her skill. So, we take care of the rest. I extend my shield over us and I can tell it's working because one of the female vampires- the one with caramel hair that painfully reminds me of Esme- looks at us in frustration. She stares at her hands accusingly and I assume that's where her power comes from.

What a disadvantage- a power that needs physical movement to activate it. She finally realizes it won't work on us and takes off. I run over to her in a blur and in one move, take her down, cleanly taking her head off of her body. I take the signature Volturi lighter from a cloak pocket and light her on fire.

Everyone glances at it and their eyes widen as they slowly realize that their best vampire was down and gone. They slowly put their hands up in surrender, but it's too late for that. They should've known that this would be their fate as soon as they were born and told of the Volturi. I hear shrieks and screams erupt from all sides of me as Jane inflicts pain and Demetri and Felix take the newborns down.

Suddenly, someone hops onto my back. I quickly shake him or her off and spin around rapidly. What I see practically breaks my dead heart. Standing in front of me in a ready-to-attack position is a young girl of about 13 years old with rose-red hair and black, hungry eyes. It's obvious that as the youngest and smallest, she always got the least food.

She snarls loudly, the vampire in her, hungry to kill. And then, she pounces.

I despised having to do it, but it was for the best. I take her head off in one movement and light her up. And in that moment, I feel terrible. I feel like the monster that I had tried so hard to avoid in the past. I feel ashamed, guilty, and just miserable. I took a 13 year old life just to please someone.

_Yes, but she tried to attack you first. Were you going to give up your life just to save hers?_

Not quite, but I could've let her go with a warning.

_Aro would kill you… literally._

I don't care. I just took her life.

_She took so many more lives that you ever have. She drinks human blood. Just by saving her, you are saving many humans._

You're right.

And just like that, all of the negative feelings wash away, diminishing slowly. I did what was right. She was insane with thirst and she was following the orders of a power-hungry, greedy vampire. I did what was just.

I look behind me to see the rest of them finishing up with the other newborns and I join them. I must've still looked distraught because Felix asks, "What's wrong, Bella?"

"Nothing…" I mutter.

"Sure, we'll believe that," Jane replies, her voice laced with cynicism.

"It's really nothing. Let's go, we finished the job," I reply, stubborn and reluctant to spill.

Later, at the castle, I'm sitting on the bed in my room, when I hear someone knock sharply. I open slowly and see Jane standing there, her arms crossed. I feel a sense of déjà vu.

"Bella, let's talk," she says.

"Why?" I ask.

"Stop being so suspicious of me." She lets herself in and sits on my bed, her legs crossed in pretzel style.

I sit down next to her, leaning away from her subtly. She notices because she scoffs, "I'm not contagious, Bella. Calm down."

I look at her in surprise. "You called me Bella!"

"Yes, yes I did. Now can we move on?" She asks.

"Sure, now what do you want?"

"Kindly put. I know why you looked so sad before," she says.

Shocked, I ask, "And?"

"Well, I'm just here to make sure you understand that what you did is fine. In fact, it's more than fine. You saved many lives by ending one. Did you ever hear of sacrifices? Well, you made one."

"How old are you, Jane? And I mean physically." I ask abruptly.

Taken aback, she replies, "13."

"You're incredibly mature for your age," I praise her.

"Thank you. Living for centuries does do that to someone. Now, do you understand?"

"Sure," I respond.

"That's good. I'm going to leave now."

She heads to the door when I call out, "Thanks, Jane. You're not as bad as I thought you were."

She smiles softly before obtaining a sour expression. "What bad luck I have. Now, you're not going to be able to keep your hands off me, are you?"

I smile sweetly at her. "Most definitely not."

* * *

Here are your plush dolls of Jasper. Don't tell Alice I'm giving them out. She'll get extremely jealous.

And did you like that sweet moment between Bella and Jane? In some stories, Jane is just automatically a friendly girl and loves Bella as a best friend, closely resembling Alice. I don't understand that. So, I'm easing into their friendship.

Hopefully, I'll squeeze some Caius/Bella time in soon, but no guarantees. There are so many things in the way that I have to write through.

Anyway, I know this wasn't such an exciting chapter, but nonetheless, I hope you enjoyed!


	6. Changing My Ways

So, I guess I was kidding when I said there wouldn't be Caius/Bella until I wrote some things through because there's some of that in the first part of this chapter. It's not romantic.

To answer some questions mentioned in reviews:

- When I imagine Caius and Bella falling in love, I imagine it happening gradually rather than realization at first meeting. That's somewhat like imprinting. And there's the fact that Caius has a mate right now, which makes things a bit different.

- Yes, the Cullen's will be in the story. Next chapter, in fact. Or the chapter after that. But, very soon. And things will be happening. Oh yes... Hee hee (evil giggle)

To wolfygrr21, thanks for pointing out my mistake. I went back and fixed it. Sometimes, I can make some weird, not-so-genius mistakes. I was literally slapping myself when I read it in chapter 4.

Anyway, thanks for your encouragement! Every review, every alert, every favorite makes me squeal so loud that my sister looks at me like I'm insane.

See you at the bottom! There's cotton candy ice cream there. Sounds good, doesn't it?

* * *

_Bella_

The next day, I decide to visit the garden. I've heard from Carlisle that the Volturi garden is quite beautiful. I slip on the heavy cloak and walk out the doors leading to the garden.

The sight amazes me, making me sigh with pure happiness. This place was the picture of innocence and life. Butterflies flew around gracefully, their patterned wings moving up and down, propelling them to where they wanted to go. The sun was shining, allowing the flowers to bask in the heat and light, and the flowers were absolutely stunning.

Roses, sunflowers, daisies, geraniums, petunias, and lilies littered the garden floor while vines artfully grew above the flowers, creating elegant scenes. I spot a bench not far from where I was standing. It was one of those benches that swung back and forth.

I walk over to it and sit down, still observing the garden in blissful peace. This was officially my new favorite place, here, to relax. I close my eyes and lie down, my head on the armrest of the swing. I use one foot to swing me back and forth once before replacing it on the bench and letting the breeze blow me back and forth.

After about 5 minutes of swinging, even with my eyes closed, I can tell that it has suddenly darkened. I open my eyes and hastily sit up when I see who it is. Caius stands above me, with his permanent grumpy face expression and his steadfast sulky slouch.

He sits down next to me, astonishing me even more, and I sit up a little straighter. "What would you like, Caius?"

"You have to call me Master Caius. You're not royalty here." he replies, completely ignoring my question.

"Do you know what era we're living in? Titles like that just don't appeal to me."

"Well, isn't that too bad?" He pretends to sympathize with me and I roll my eyes.

"So, what do you want?"

"Rude."

"Well, you were interrupting my quiet time. Things were finally beginning to die down in this busy mind of mine, and you just had to come and ruin it," I accuse.

"So, you like this garden?"

"Very much. It's gorgeous," I reply, lying back down and taking in the heat.

"Do you know the history behind this garden? It's simple, but essential. Or at least I feel like it is."

"Continue," I say, gesturing with a hand lazily.

"As you know, Aro killed his own sister, Didyme. You see, she convinced Marcus to escape with her, and Aro couldn't have that. Marcus doesn't know who her killer is, however. Aro felt guilty afterwards, but knew it was for the best. However, despite having this mindset, Aro felt like he had to do something for Didyme. So he created this garden in honor of her. He isn't the one who takes care of it, though. Marcus is."

I murmur, "That's interesting."

"I suppose. I wouldn't see you as the type to enjoy just sitting in the garden," he brings up.

"Why not?" I ask, insulted.

"Well, you don't seem much like the calm and peaceful type," he observes.

"And you should be talking?" I scoff.

I expect for him to hiss or make his signature angry face, but instead, he smiles. For a second, both he and I are both shocked, but we're soon over it.

He asks, "What do you like doing in your free time?"

"Why?"

"Must you be so suspicious of such an innocent question?"

"No… but it bothers me that you're intrigued by me when mere days ago, you loathed me and went out of your way to get away from me," I explain.

"Just answer the question, Cullen lover."

"Ah, there's the Caius I know."

"Shush."

"Okay, I adore reading and one of my favorite books is Wuthering Heights. Not only do I love the classics, but I also love modern day books in the genre of fantasy. I'm such a sucker for all things mystical. You see, I can relate to those types of books."

"And what were you like as a human?"

"Clumsy is the most defining word for when I was a human. I fell over nothing, often. I blushed a lot so I guess you can say I was introverted. I was extremely pale; almost vampire pale. My scent was mouthwatering, according to certain vampires. And that's the gist of human me. Hey, you saw me before…" I finish with a raised eyebrow.

"I saw you but I didn't know what you were like," he replies. "Why did you change? Now, you're so cynical of everything."

"Hello? Did you already forget about the vampire who I thought loved me, leaving me? Oh, it's okay. It wasn't _that _important. You could just forget about it," I scathingly answer.

He raises an eyebrow. "See? There's a perfect example."

"Fine, but it really was because of that. I'm a vengeful girl when I want to be. And when I'm vengeful, I'm literally bursting with sarcasm. And I just change... a lot. Now, what about you?"

"What about me?"

"What do you like to do in your free time?"

"Well, I've always loved to draw. I was an artist when I was a human, and I painted all the time."

"That's lovely."

"Lovely is a bit extreme," he replies.

He glances towards the general direction of the doors. "I have to leave. The feeding is taking place. As a matter of fact, aren't you thirsty? Your eyes are black."

Now that he mentions it, the burning in my throat was stronger than usual. And I did feel weak from lack of blood…

I nod quickly and ask, "Are there any forests around here?"

He smirks. "Yes, but you're not allowed to leave castle grounds without permission from Aro. And I doubt he'll let you go."

"Someone from here can accompany me, if that's what he's worried about," I offer.

"Oh, he just dislikes it when someone chooses to be picky and be different than the norm. And if you choose to continue drinking animal blood, he may get irritated."

"Oh, so now you guys control what I'm allowed to eat? It's like me telling you to survive on animal blood. Can you do it?"

"If someone above me told me to, I would be able to do it."

"Sure…" I reply half-heartedly.

"Let's make a deal. Try drinking human blood with us for one month, and I'll drink animal blood for one month. Let's see who gives in first," he smirks.

Um, no way, I wasn't going to kill humans who have families, lives, and jobs just to win a deal. "No," I curtly respond.

"So, you can't do it, huh?"

"I can, but I won't," I shoot back. "Plus, you just mentioned that Aro wouldn't allow anyone to leave the castle grounds for a reason such as that without a fight."

"I'm his brother, and I'm also a leader, in case you forgot. And if I told him the reason, he'd allow me to. Now, back to you. You're just too scared."

"What could I possibly be scared of?"

"Disappointing the Cullen family… most prominently your previous lover."

I growl. How dare he? I didn't want to please Edward or his mindless family. In fact, I wanted to disappoint him, anger him, and surprise him with my new self.

Out of pure exhilaration, without thinking, I hiss, "Did you not just hear that I was trying to get over him, and show him that I wasn't affected? Fine, I accept."

He saunters away as I glare at his back. He chuckles lowly as if he knows I'm shooting him death looks.

What in the world have I done!?

* * *

After about another 10 minutes in the garden, fretting and pulling my hair relentlessly, I walk inside slowly; even slower than a human's slow walking. That's how much I wanted to avoid feeding on human blood.

However, I ignore my clear reluctance. I wouldn't back down. I would hate to see the victorious smile on Caius's face.

I straighten up and walk through the doors leading to the feeding room. The frenzy hasn't started yet because the humans are in a group at the center of the room with Heidi smiling at them seductively. They were gazing at her in awe.

I feel a pang in my heart as I glance around the room, catching sight of a couple of human beings. There's a mother with her teenage daughter, a father with two sons, and a grandma with a granddaughter.

They all look peaceful and I dread having to hear their screams in a couple of minutes. Aro welcomes them loudly, but in my mind, it's all just a monotonous drone. I walk up to him, nod, and take my place in the guard. Shocked, he raises an eyebrow, questioningly.

I mutter, too quiet for the humans to hear, "Caius and I made a deal. I assume you heard?"

"Yes, he told me, but I didn't think you would exactly go through with it. I believed that you were a strong supporter of the vegetarian way."

"Well, I'm here."

"I'm glad you didn't make things complicated by having a separate diet from us," he praises.

"This will last only a month," I growl.

"Whatever you say, and I'm sure you have your reasons."

"You may now start the feast!" He announces loudly, to everyone.

The guard and the two leaders that were currently in the room, glide over to individual humans, with their teeth bared and their eyes colored a dark black. I just stand there, not knowing how to start; not knowing how to do this.

I zoom in on Aro, who smiles before he dives in and sinks his teeth into a young man. The man opens his mouth to scream but closes it again and then just lets Aro drink his blood… so accepting. I shiver as I realize that this young man would be so willing to give up his own life.

_You don't have to do this, Bella. Just walk out now._

No, I have to. I have to prove that I'm not a part of the Cullen's and that I'm not a wimp. I have to prove Caius wrong.

_So, just for your own selfish reasons, you're taking lives?_

Edward did it before. It's not like he's a saint that never fed on human blood! All of the Cullen's barring Carlisle drank human blood, indirect or direct.

_What about Rosalie or Alice? _

I don't know about them, but what I'm saying is that almost all of the vampire population drinks human blood. Only the rare few drink animal blood, so you drinking human blood isn't completely wrong.

_Lame. Just lame. _

Before I can justify myself to my inner thought angel, I catch sight of a human. He's lurking in the corners, staring at the screaming crowd of people and the thirsty, sinister vampires. He does not fear anything. No, he's just observing.

This surprises me but what surprises me most is his uncanny resemblance to Edward. He has bronze hair like Edward's but lighter in color and green eyes, which Edward once had when he had been a human. He's tall and lean; not strong looking at all. He's pale, but not vampire pale.

And that's what breaks me. His appearance too closely mimics the one who left me for another woman, and I just crack. The only thoughts running through my head are: _Kill. Tear. Throw._

I rush towards him and a second later, I'm hovering over his neck as he stares back at me calmly. His green eyes are moderate and his hands are unclenched; just hanging limply at his sides.

That face expression… I'm so sick of seeing it, after seeing it on Edward's face so many times. I lose it and give in to my thirst and fury. I sink my teeth into his neck and suck. It comes naturally, as it should. I'm a vampire and this is who I am. This is the lifestyle I should be having. I am a vampire and if anyone is disappointed in me now, it's not me.

It's like humans eating animal meat. They are eating living things; beings that have lives, families, and friends, in a different way than humans. They behave differently but at the end of the day, they are a part of a food chain. And that's the same for humans and vampires. At the end, humans are just a part of the food chain. We can't help it. This is how we were made and this is the only way we can be satisfied.

We are predators. Humans are predators. Animals are predators. And we all have prey. We don't choose who our prey are.

Sure, we can drink animal blood and I have previously chosen this path, but it's not the way it's meant to be. I can tell from the way human blood fulfills me; makes me feel alive.

Oh, and the taste. Two words: Simply fantastic.

The blood is thick and warm. There's no way to describe the taste. Take your favorite dish. And assume you were extremely hungry and have been feeding on terrible foods for the past year of your life. And suddenly, you take a bite of that favorite dish. How would that certain favorite taste at that moment?

Yes… it would taste incredible.

I drain him and gently lay him down. I wouldn't go through with the throwing part. It was just cruel.

I look down at him and see that his eyes are still open. I cringe and lean down and close them. I look around to see that everyone is done, and staring at me with wide eyes. I look away again and close my eyes.

I should feel shame. I know this. But I don't. I had just committed a crime- or at least to the Cullen's it was considered a crime- but I just didn't feel it. I didn't feel guilt, sorrow, or any negative feelings. I just felt full. I felt like I had just devoured a huge meal and I was now leaning back in my chair and rubbing my stomach in contentment.

Aro walks over to me, cautiously. "Isabella, dear. Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm feeling fine," I reply.

"You could share your feelings. I understand that taking a life must be terribly hard for you," he insists.

"Really, I'm surprised as well, but I'm feeling satisfied."

He laughs with joy, surprising everyone in the room. "You'll fit in just fine."

I smile slightly before putting on my poker face. "I'll be heading to my room now."

"Of course, of course."

Before I can head out, Caius walks into the room at a brisk pace. He has a most disgusted expression on his face, and he's fuming.

"That was the most terrible experience of my life! Animal blood is just horrid. Compared to human blood, it is completely unappetizing."

I smirk. "So, are you giving up?"

He turns to me and protests, "Of course not. I thought I'd just get my feelings out. Now, that reminds me. How was your feeding? I see your eyes have a hint of red."

"Pleasing," I respond, smiling at him.

His eyes grow wide and I give him another sweet smile before spinning on my heels and walking out pompously.

As soon as I'm out of the room, I chuckle.

I shouldn't be in a good mood. I know this. But feel like I'm walking on air. Everything feels so light.

I was turning into someone other than me, and it felt…

Wonderful.

* * *

~ Scoops cotton ice cream from freezer and plops it into a cone.

Here you go. Enjoy, because I'm not giving out seconds.

Anyway, how was the chapter? Do you hate that Bella drank human blood? I'm sorry if you do, but it's kind of essential to the story.

Do you think I'm rushing the relationship? I mean, they already had their 'Get to know each other better' talk and I'm worried that it's just too quick. It's only the 6th chapter!

I don't know. I just felt like if I didn't do it now, I don't know where I'd be putting it in.

Until next time, DayJune.

To the person that guesses the inspiration behind my username, I will dedicate the next chapter to you. And to those I've told before… I don't know. Be nice and let others try and figure it out? It's sort of specific, by the way.


	7. The Gift of Seduction

Thank you for your input, opinions, and encouragement!

See you at the bottom. There are plush dolls of your favorite werewolves there!

* * *

_Alice_

It's been days since Bella left, but it feels like seconds have passed, instead. Without her, the seconds drag on. Everyone's feeling pretty down at the moment, not including Edward, of course. Instead, he's enthusiastically awaiting his future mate, Vera.

I can't believe Edward would do something so reckless… so stupid, just over one silly little vision I had. I know that he was awed by the beauty of Vera, but he knew nothing else of her. And my visions weren't always accurate. They're based purely off of decisions, and Vera might decide against visiting us here at Vermont. And that would change everything.

I sincerely hope that Edward really does get to meet her, because if he doesn't, leaving Bella would have been a mistake.

Edward requested that I refrain from looking at Bella's future, and I complied, and I still will comply. However, that doesn't change the fact that I'm worried about her. When he first left her, she rode a motorcycle, jumped off a cliff, and almost got killed by Laurent. Catch my drift?

I knew she was a vampire now, but that didn't change the fact that she was probably heartbroken about Edward's disappearance from her life. Edward refused to tell us how she reacted to his leaving her and specifically requested that I not look at it beforehand, so I don't know as well.

But I imagine there was a lot of dry sobbing and accusing, sad glares on the behalf of Bella.

Jasper must have been feeling my concern, sadness, nostalgia, and curiosity, because he walks into the room and a sense of calm falls over to me. I nod at him gratefully and he takes me into his arms.

"Alice, is Vera coming soon?"

"I don't know," I reply.

"Really? Is something blocking your visions of her?" He asks.

"No, but I'm choosing not to look at her or Edward's future. I don't want to see anything. I just want to be unaware for once. I don't know if a sudden vision of the two of them will abruptly occur, but otherwise, I'm trying my best to avoid seeing the future as of now."

He nods, sympathy written on his face and I lean in. I peck his cheek quickly and murmur, "Don't worry about me, Jazzy. It's not too difficult."

"I know, but I feel like a lot of burden is being placed on you."

"No, I'm fine. I'm just worried about Bella. And Edward, as a matter of fact."

"Why Edward?" asks Jasper.

"Well, what if my vision never comes true?"

"Then, he deserves it," Jasper answers, his face hardening. "Why don't you just look into Bella's future? It would take off a lot of negative emotions," he suggests.

Firmly, I answer, "No matter how much I resent Edward right now, I won't go against his wishes and invade his privacy with my ability."

"Fine," Jasper mutters. "But I still think he's an idiot who deserves to have his privacy invaded."

"I didn't realize you cared so much about Bella." I raise my eyebrows at him questioningly.

"You're right," he exclaims in astonishment. "I do care. Now, I just have to figure out why."

I laugh and lean towards him. Our lips are about to touch, when we're interrupted by the doorbell ringing. I guess I was so distracted that my power was completely set aside. Small things like the doorbell ringing usually made themselves into sudden visions. I hop off of Jasper as he meekly protests and giggle. "Oh, stop. Let's go see who it is. Everyone in the family has a key."

"Just look with your ability," he grumbles.

"Nope, no way. I'm completely avoiding my powers right now," I promptly reply.

I grab his hand and pull him up, using most of my strength on that alone. He grumbles, but gets up. We run to the front door and see Edward there, just standing still. We walk to the door and what I see next makes me squeak in surprise and sigh in relief.

Standing there, just as beautiful as she had appeared to be in my vision, is Vera. She's gazing at Edward alluringly and smiling at him with her pearly whites. It's obvious that he's too dazzled to talk, so I take over.

Before I can introduce us, Jasper pulls away and kisses me quickly on the cheek. "I'm going to hunt, Al. I'll be back soon."

And with that, he's gone. What a wonderful mate.

"Hi there! I'm Alice and this is Edward. What can we do for you?" I ask, still straying away from my ability.

"Hello, I'm Vera. I'm a nomad vampire and I recently took up the vegetarian lifestyle. Maybe about... one year ago? Anyway, I was getting quite lonesome when I stumbled upon another vampire. She told me of you guys when I told her I was looking for a coven to join that also shared the same lifestyle as me. And I decided to come here and ask if I could join you guys."

I smile brightly at her. So we hadn't left Bella for nothing. "Of course you can! Carlisle is the leader but he would never turn a vampire down. Come on in!"

I hear her sigh in relief and smile. I was glad that she wasn't a mindless, overly arrogant vampire. She ambles in and I can hear Edward close the door behind us.

She sits down on a couch seat and looks around nervously. "So… tell me more about you guys?"

"Sure. There are 7 of us. Me, Edward, Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, Esme, and Carlisle. Carlisle of the group and we consider him our dad. Esme is his mate, and therefore, our mother. Emmett and Rosalie are mates, Jasper and I are mates, and Edward is single. He used to be with someone, however…"

I hear a low hiss behind me and roll my eyes. I continue, "We move around often and enroll in high schools. Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper usually pose as seniors and then move on to college, while Edward and I pose as juniors, and then move onto our senior year."

"We don't all have powers. Edward reads minds, I can see the future based off of peoples' decisions, and Jasper can manipulate emotions. If you're feeling sad, then he can make you feel happy. He feels the emotions you feel as well."

"Intriguing," she murmurs.

Curious, I ask, "Do you have an ability?"

Nodding, she replies, "Yes, I have the power to allure people; make them fall for me."

"Why am _I_ not falling for you?"

"I've tried my ability on the same gender, but it seems to work only for the opposite gender. Unfortunately, I cannot control who I seduce. On the brighter side, it doesn't seem to have an effect on those with mates. It seems that those who are in love cannot fall out of love by something artificial."

And then something dawns on me. Vera had to power to make the opposite gender fall in love with her. And it only worked on those who lacked mates. Edward was of the opposite gender and lacked a mate at the current moment. And that meant that the vision I had was portraying false love.

Vera wasn't a bad person. But she couldn't control who her power went out to, or so she claimed. And that meant if she liked Edward, she wouldn't mind if her power helped her out.

And that meant Edward wasn't truly in love with Vera in my vision. It was all her ability.

Aghast, I question, "Doesn't your power make you want to stay away from all men, then?"

She frowns. "Not particularly. I can't help who I am and I'm not going to let my power isolate me from such a large part of the vampire world. The only thing I can hope is that when I find a man I love, they'll come to love me as well, without the help of my ability."

"But that's impossible! You will never be able to know if a man loves you for you because your ability blinds them, no?"

"You're right, and so my ability is more like a curse. But you don't have to worry about me, Alice."

I mutter, too quietly for her to hear. "I think I do."

I turn to Edward to see his eyes are wide in awe, and his mouth is slightly open, making him look like a goldfish. "Edward?"

He doesn't respond. "Edward?"

He still fails to respond. I turn to Vera, who looks amused. "Do men usually act stupid under your presence?"

"Yes."

"That explains it." I wave a hand two inches from his face and finally, he blinks quickly. He sits up and looks at Vera again, a dreamy expression taking over his face. This wasn't Edward and I didn't like it one bit.

"Edward, let's go get the rest of the family, shall we?"

"But they're hunting," he protests.

"Yes, but we should get them to introduce to Vera."

"We should stay here. We can't treat a guest like this."

"Edward…now!" I murmur darkly.

He takes one look at my face expression and nods. "We'll be right back, Vera," I tell her sweetly.

She nods and begins to look around the house, her topaz eyes drinking in everything.

I take Edward's hand and guide him into the forest. Once we're safely away from the house, I shriek, "Edward, did you hear what she said!"

Confused and now done with being under the influence of her spell, Edward asks, "What did she say?"

"She told us what her ability was. Here, take a look into my mind you dim-wit."

I replay what she had told us and show him how dumb he had looked the whole time. His eyes widen and then return to their original size.

"Don't tell me…"

"Yes, the vision I had is going to happen, but it's not right! You're not really in love with her and when you say what you said in the vision, you're not really going to mean it."

He moans, running his hands through his disheveled hair. "No! Out of all the women in the world that I could've left Bella for..."

"Ugh, what did I tell you? My visions are one-dimensional! They show you the view and not the meaning behind the view."

"What did I get myself into?"

"Nothing," I reply firmly. "We're kicking Vera out and we're going to get Bella back. You left her under the wrong impression and under false information. I guarantee you still have feelings for her."

"But I was so rude to her when I left her," he replies.

"Your fault, Edward. But Bella's a forgiving person and she might consider taking you back."

"Fine, look into her future."

"Perfect. I've been waiting."

* * *

Here are the plush dolls. You pick whichever character you want!

So, there it is. Vera is not who we thought she was and Edward's having second thoughts about Bella.

Until next time, DayJune

Oh, and no one managed to guess the reason behind my username, though I think only one person attempted the little challenge, so I'll just tell you.

I really love this book, Legend, by Marie Lu, and some of my usernames are inspired by my favorite books, so I decided to take the two main characters, Day and June, and squish their names together.


	8. Second Thoughts

Thanks for your reviews, alerts, and favorites! We reached 60! Saying that makes me feel so good...

Random question: Favorite books? I'm tired of rereading the books on my shelves. I think I read each one of the books on my shelves at least 5 times each. Not kidding.

See you at the bottom! There are fresh mangoes there. Honestly, I don't even know if you guys like mangoes, but I do, so therefore, I will be giving them out.

* * *

_Caius_

I was in my study room. This particular room was off-limits to anyone other than myself, and if anyone did come in, it was with my permission. If anyone came in without my permission, then they were in for a serious lecture on privacy.

I was contemplating the little deal that I had struck with Isabella previously. I didn't think she'd _actually _go through with it. I wasn't calling her a wimp. In fact, she was quite the opposite of that. I just thought that she would stick with who she really was and not become a worse person just because of the Cullen boy, Edward.

When she said that word: "Pleasing", I had felt guilt. Guilt because I had made someone who was so pure and innocent, regardless of her desire for revenge, turn into someone unrecognizable. Drinking animal blood immediately taints your soul. It changes your eye color, but it also changes what you seem to be like to others.

And I felt ashamed.

Wait, I know _why _I felt ashamed, but at the same time, why did I feel so much concern for Isabella? I was supposed to be hating her… despising her. Not trusting her. She was an intruder in my relatively peaceful life, and I didn't like it.

And she always contradicted me. She never failed to have a sarcastic remark safely stored for me. And she failed to comply to tradition and call me by the formal name of Master Caius. I should be triumphant that I managed to take control of her and make her do something by my orders. Well, that's not the truth. In order to make her comply to my orders, I had to suffer drinking animal blood.

Ugh, back to that… Animal blood is grotesque. The taste itself isn't terrible. I mean, it's bad but edible. It has the slightest hint of human, but has the taste of nature as well. It's difficult to describe, but it has nature and human compiled in it. The only truly grotesque part of its taste is the remote taste of sweat and rotten cheese. The real disgusting part of it is that it's not satisfying. It leaves you wanting more and when you drink more, you still want more. It's a never ending longing for more that will never be quenched.

That's when an idea dawned upon me. I was conceited and competitive but I knew how to take a loss, and I knew when it was the right time to back down. So, I would tell Isabella that I couldn't take it anymore- and it was the truth; I wanted to go back to the pleasures of human blood- and surrender. That way, she could go back to better ways of drinking animal blood, and I could go back to happiness.

Yes, that sounds right.

I get up from the chair I was situated on throughout this mental deliberation and walk to the door. Before I can walk out and take a visit to Isabella's quarters, Athenodora comes stumbling in. Her long blonde hair is messed up and her eyes are wide open. She glares at me.

"Caius, why did I see you and that new girl talking in the garden?"

Taken aback, I reply, "What?"

"Not only did I see it, but I actually heard your conversation! Why were you trying to get to know her?"

Where was my sweet, calm, easy going wife? This was not how Athenodora should be like.

"I never saw you that happy before. I never even saw you respond well to an insult or contradiction before I saw you with that girl. Whenever I try to argue with you, you block me out! You claim you need some quiet time and then you don't talk to me for at least 3 days! Why is she so special, huh?" She asks.

What was going on?

"Dear, if you're worried that I have feelings for Isabella, then do not fear. I am in love with one only, and that one is you."

Okay, so that was half the truth. Athenodora and I were set up by my brothers and I didn't bother trying to protest their efforts as Athenodora wasn't bad looking at all. And she was an angel concerning personality.

She screeches, "So, can you promise me that you'll never talk to her again outside of the formal reasons, leader to guard?"

Well, that wasn't possible as I was just going to see her.

"Isn't that unreasonable?"

"Not at all," she replies.

"Then, I can't promise you that," I respond.

She sobs dryly and I wonder briefly where her sanity has gone. This was unacceptable behavior. I nod at her and continue my walk to Isabella's quarter when she says something that makes me stop in my tracks. "Then I'm out of here."

I swivel around rapidly and ask, "Just for me talking to Isabella?"

She sadly looks down and I sigh. There's the Athenodora I knew.

"No, Caius. I was just using that as an excuse to try and end this relationship." She fixes her hair and regains the calm face that is her. She continues, "You see, when we kiss, I don't feel anything. And we don't kiss often. You rarely tell me you love me and you rarely even look at me. And I don't mean at my physical state. You rarely look at me and who I am. You don't gaze at me adoringly or make me feel loved."

"I want to be in a relationship where my mate and I actually fit together. I want to be happy with the one I will be with forever," she finishes.

Now insulted, I hiss, "Why do you confess today? We've been together for centuries."

"For the first century or so, I felt love. But after that, I couldn't help but notice we were drifting apart. I kept it quiet, because I thought I might be taking things out of hand. But as of late, I couldn't help but notice the way Aro and Sulpicia fit together like puzzle pieces and always shared a private smile or kissed. They just looked so perfect together. And then today, I saw you talking to Isabella. I know you won't like what I'm about to say, but I noticed that you two resembled Aro and Sulpicia. Of course, you weren't as loving; not nearly close, in fact. But, I saw the beginning of something. I'm not one to tell you what I saw exactly, but I saw something," she replies.

She sounded crazy right now. She thought that a relationship between Isabella and I was plausible? Seriously, Isabella and I couldn't be further from that. Our relationship was sort of like cat and mouse, in which the cat and mouse switched roles. Today, when I made the bet with her, I was the cat, but when she claimed the experience was "pleasing", she was the cat.

She continues, "Look, Caius. I'm just saying: Everyone should get a chance to find genuine love. And I'm here to request that you let me leave. Both for your sake and my sake."

Angrily, I answer her, "Absolutely not."

And with that, I walk around her and straight to Marcus's room. Isabella could wait. I had to confirm a couple of things first.

I knock on Marcus's door lightly. He calls out, "Come in."

I walk in and close the door behind me. I knew no one would hear our conversation because of the soundproof walls/doors that Aro had installed. I couldn't help but be grateful for Aro's liking of privacy.

I sit down across from him and he asks, "What brings you here, Caius?"

"Today, Athenodora mentioned something that I find highly unreasonable. However, I want to be sure that it's completely not true."

He nods knowingly, not looking highly surprised… not that he ever looked surprised for that matter. "Does it concern Isabella?"

Shocked, I ask, "How'd you know?"

"Well, she is an intriguing character and she will influence many people in the guard as well as select others."

I knew what he was hinting at and I was dreading the answer. However, I needed to know.

"Marcus, tell me what you've seen with your vision."

"I'm afraid that I cannot. You see, my bonds are correct, but when I reveal them, things can get messy. People either try too hard to make those relationships bloom or try too hard to destroy them before they even began. It's up to them to figure out what their feelings are. I do hate to ruin what could've been."

I growl darkly. "Marcus, you don't seem to understand. I need to understand what's happening. Everything just changed mere moments ago, and I want to know why."

"I'm afraid you'll have to figure it out on your own," he murmurs.

"Does Aro know?" I ask.

"I'm afraid not. I never offered him my hand. I'll tell him when the time seems right, as I myself am confused about some of the bonds I am seeing."

He resumes reading and I sigh. Although I wished to lash out on him, I knew it'd get me nowhere. Marcus was one of the few people that never got intimidated by me. With him, every effort was fruitless.

I stalk out and almost decide to not see Isabella. I was feeling confused and when I was confused, I was not a great person to be around.

But I knew I had to end this deal. I didn't know why I felt like I had to. I just knew it was the righter thing.

I sigh and trek to her room. So many things in my life were messed up right now, and I would only hope that talking to her would make things easier for me.

* * *

Here are your mangoes. Wow, I really am running out of things to offer. I even resorted to mangoes. They're delicious and all, but seriously? I'm ashamed.

Anyway, that Marcus bit answers some questions, right?

Until next time, DayJune


	9. Rescuing the Not-So-Damsel-In-Distress

Thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, alerted/ and or favorited this story.

To Nooks and Crannies: Thanks for your review and I'm glad that you're enjoying the story! Additionally, thanks for your suggestions. I'll look up the books and read them when I can. I really want to read Mortal Instruments, by the way. I just need to get that. Oh, and I positively LOVED the Divergent series!

Can we maybe get to 70 reviews by the next chapter? I know, it seems like a lot, but we can do it. If we don't get there, don't worry. I'll still put up the next chapter.

* * *

_Alice_

I glanced at Edward briefly, making sure that he was confident in his decision of letting me look into Bella's future. He nods quickly, reading my hesitation in my thoughts, and firmly says, "I'm fine with it."

I close my eyes and let the blocked visions flow. It's such a freeing, exhilarating feeling. It's the feeling you get when a stomach ache clears up, or a migraine disappears. It's just that wonderful of a feeling.

And then I'm sucked into my visions.

The first thing I see is somewhat blurry, as if the people in it are unsure of what they want. It's as if this vision is dangerously balancing on the edge of a cliff, and it doesn't know where it's going to go.

Frustrated, I look a bit closer and see two vampires- one male and a female. Their faces are unidentifiable but one has fair hair and the other has darker hair. They're standing across from each other, close enough for me to know that this isn't a friend to friend relationship.

And then I'm pulled out of this vision and into another one. I'm about to protest as I was interested in the previous one, but I stop and gape as I see the next one play out.

There's Bella, in the throne room of the Volturi quarters. She's wearing the mandatory uniform for a guard and she's gliding to her spot in the guard. She shares a quick smile with Jane before turning to the doors with a grim expression on her face, as if awaiting something that doesn't appeal to her.

And the vision ends there, leaving me wanting more. Why did Bella choose to become a guard? Was she that upset?

I slowly turn to Edward, afraid to see his face expression. And when I do see what it is, immediately regret complying with his wishes of looking into Bella's future. He has a mixture of anger and confusion. His eyes are scrunched up and he's running his hands through his hair as if wondering what went wrong.

And then realization dawns on his face. He shouts, "They forced her to join them! They kidnapped her as she was running away from me, and then they had that vampire who can form relationships tie Bella to the leaders."

I wasn't so sure that was the explanation for Bella's presence in the guard. "Are you sure, Edward? Bella didn't look forlorn and she even shared a smile with Jane."

He protests, "I'm sure. She's putting on a front and in reality, she misses us."

Was what he said, true? Bella may not be a good liar, but she's good at covering up her feelings. The two things may sound the same, but in truth, they were different. Bella was in a terrible state when Edward left but she didn't break down sobbing at school, or so Edward claimed from what he read from other students' minds when we returned. She has just looked empty and a bit lost.

Maybe that's what was happening now. She didn't want the Volturi to think she was against them and in truth, she was miserable. My visions were one dimensional, as mentioned before, so this made sense.

I nod at Edward, who had read all of my thoughts about Bella.

"So, what do we do about this?" I ask.

"We rescue her," he replies.

"As always," I sigh. Harsh, but true. You would've thought that Bella would be able to take care of herself and move on but apparently not.

"Let's go tell the others," I tell Edward.

He nods and we run as fast as we can to the house.

As soon as we arrive, we hear chatter inside the house.

We walk inside without knocking and freeze as we see our family members interacting with Vera. Shoot, I had completely forgotten about her. I take a quick look at Edward and see that, as I had been afraid of, he was looking at her with puppy eyes.

I sigh as I realize I would have to be the boss of this operation. I clear my throat and it becomes silent. I smile at my family members who look excited about the arrival of Vera.

I turn to Vera and say, "So, I see you've met the rest of us."

"Yes, and may I say. They're wonderful people," she flatters them.

They smile at her and I realize just how much charisma Vera has. I turn to Jasper, desperate to see one face that wouldn't be under her charismatic influence. My desperation turns to relief as I see Jasper just looking at Vera with an uncomfortable expression on his face.

I grab him and drag him out of the house. He happily follows and as soon as we're out, he blurts out, "Something's off with her."

"She has the gift of seduction. She can make any single male fall for her. My vision was wrong, Jazz," I shriek in panic. "And Edward found out when I took him away from her and allowed me to look at Bella's future. And we saw her as part of the Volturi and we think they forced her to join!"

He hurriedly shoots calm waves at me and I shoot him a gratified look. "Alice, calm down. We can fix this. I'll take Vera somewhere like the forest and claim that I'm giving her a basic outline of our hunting grounds, while you explain the situation to the family."

I kiss him lightly and murmur, "Always the calm one when under pressure. You're the best, Jazzy."

He chuckles against my lips and before he can head back inside the house, I ask, "Is this why you avoided Vera like the plague before?"

"Yes, I didn't feel right around her and I assumed it was because I needed to hunt. I guess I was avoiding the truth of the matter," he confesses.

I nod and prance inside, him following me. When we get inside, he asks Vera, "Would you like a basic understanding of where we hunt?"

Confused, she asks, "But I've hunted here before."

At a loss of words, Jasper turns to me. I fill in, "Well, there are some hidden places where you can find an abundance of animals. He can show you that."

Of course I was making that up, but Jasper would figure out something. Vera nods excitedly at the prospect of finding somewhere where she could be satisfied within seconds. She and Jasper head out and after I'm sure they're far enough, I turn to my family.

Edward's shaking his head lightly and turning to me. "I was under her influence again, wasn't I?"

I nod and I'm pretty sure he can read the sympathy written all over my face.

Emmett, always the impatient one, interrupts, "What do you mean 'under her influence'?"

I sigh, knowing this will take a while.

I explain the situation to them, all the way until the part with Bella being part of the Volturi, forced. Their reactions are all pretty uniform- a gasp and a "no!"

"No one blame Edward… he was helpless. Anyway, we have a plan. And it's simple. We're going to the Volturi and getting Bella back."

They all nod in agreement, some more reluctantly than others. The Volturi were fearsome and it was going to be a challenge to help Bella, but we owed her that much.

Edward asks, "Can you get last minute tickets to Italy, Alice?"

I quirk an eyebrow and reply, "With enough money, you can get anything."

And God knows we have a whole lot of money.

"Wait, before I book a flight, Carlisle, can you make up something to get Vera out of here?"

He nods. "I can think of something."

Vera and Jasper come back minutes later and Carlisle clears his throat. They look up and Vera raises an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"Vera, we have bad news. You see, we will be joining another coven shortly and they don't want any strangers. Of course, we'll stay the Cullen coven, but we'll be staying with that coven for extra protection. Do you mind being a nomad? We're sorry for leading you on, but Alice forgot about that little fact when you asked her to join. I just realized it myself, you see."

"But… but… Fine," she gives in. "It's not like there aren't any other vegetarian covens."

We all nod and watch her run away. I sigh in relief. Now, Edward won't be under influence, and we can begin our mission, that being the best word to describe this little rescue trip we were organizing.

I quickly book the flights (don't ask me how- like I said, money buys everything) and we're off. Bella, here we come.

* * *

Ugh, short chapter. Sorry about that. It just seemed like a good place to end.

Anyway, as you can see, I'm not giving out virtual gifts for this chapter the reason being I am running out of ideas. If you guys have ideas for the future chapters' handouts, then do tell.


	10. Epiphany

We reached 80, which was way more than I expected to get! Thanks to all those who read, reviewed, alerted, or favorited the story up to this point. Maybe 90 for this chapter? Or is that too much to ask for? God, I'm getting greedy.

Anyway, on request of Nook and Crannies, Blueberry and Chocolate Cheesecakes, and Johnny Rocket's strawberry milkshakes with McDonald's French fries, are at the bottom!

By the way, arayth3darkpr1nc3ss, your requests will be coming up in the future chapters. So no worries, you will be getting your 'you reached the bottom! Hooray!' prizes soon.

* * *

_Caius_

I knock on her door and wait as I hear her walking to the door. She opens it and does a double take when she sees me. I smirk. Getting reactions out of her was fairly easy.

She asks, her tone suspicious and wary, "What is it… Caius?"

I walk in without her permission, knowing that she'd probably never allow me to come in. I take a quick look around. Books were littered everywhere, covering all surfaces. She did mention that she liked to read, but I never realized just how much until now.

She follows behind me and mutters, "Yes, yes, do come in. It's fine with me."

I chuckle lowly and start, "I come here with a proposal regarding our previous deal."

"Yes?"

"I surrender," I reply.

An eyebrow shoots up and her mouth falls open. "The amazing, fearless Caius is giving up? Unheard of!"

"Oh, stop it. I just can't stand animal blood. I need to be pacified when it comes to feeding, and animal blood won't satisfy me. So, you can go back to animal blood- I'll ask Aro, myself, for his permission- and I can go back to human blood."

Her expression changes from shocked to relief. "Oh thank god. I don't think I can handle the guilt," she sighs out.

"But I thought you claimed the experience was pleasing. I thought you enjoyed it," I point out.

She sighs and sits down on the edge of her bed. "Yes, at the time I did. But I was on a high. It was my first time as a vampire drinking human blood and it was exhilarating and freeing. Additionally, the human I drank from resembled Edward so closely that, at the time, I felt no shame in doing what I did. But as soon as I stepped into this room, everything just came back to me, and I started to truly understand what I did. And it didn't feel good… at all. I think it's better that we return to our old ways."

Nodding, I reply, "So then it's settled. The deal is over."

"Yes."

I take a look at her eyes and notice that red still lines the edge of the pupils of her eyes. "The red will remain there for a week at the least and two at the most."

Confused, she asks, "What red?" And then realization dawns on her. "Oh, I see. Okay."

I turn around to walk out but something stops me.

It's the sound of Bella's voice- melodic and smooth. Wait, since when was I thinking of the pleasant tone of her voice?

I shake my head lightly and turn back around to face Bella.

"Thank you, Caius," she murmurs.

"For what?" I ask, bewildered.

"For ending the deal," she replies.

"It was for my sake only," I respond.

"Sure," she says, smiling.

I frown and spin on my heels. However, before I walk out, I mutter, "You're welcome."

And with that, I'm gone from her room. If I had a heart, it would be wildly beating right now. I don't know what about Isabella made me feel so… surprised and defensive all of the time. I was never like that around others. Sure, I was angry and temperamental around others, but around her, it was like I wasn't really angry. I was just joking around with her. And I usually caught others by surprise… not the other way around.

She was just different, and I didn't know why.

Do you really not know why, Caius?

What is that supposed to mean?

Let's see. You care about her, you like to joke around with her, you're extra defensive around her, and you think about her when you're not with her.

Who says I cared about her?

You were willing to lose a bet because you were concerned it was hurting her.

Fine, but I would do that for anyone, really.

Would you?

Okay, so not really. But who says I like to joke around with her?

I don't need to bring up a specific conversation for that. You joke around with her _all _the time.

I admit I'm defensive around her but it's not like she's the only one. I'm naturally a feisty person.

Okay, I'll give you that, but you think about her when you're not with her, right?

No…

You were thinking about her in your study. And in your study, the only things you think about are books and other arts. It's like your safe haven where any outside happenings just don't matter, and you were thinking about her in there. You never even once thought of Athenodora in there, and she's your mate.

I have thought of Athenodora in there.

Have you?

I suppose not.

And it's obvious that you guys balance each other out. You even said it yourself. The position of cat and mouse changes all the time. There's no dominant leader in this relationship.

We're not in a relationship, though.

You could be if you weren't so stubborn. And you can't deny that she's physically attractive. I mean, c'mon. She's beautiful.

Yes, she does have silky, long mahogany brown hair. And her creamy, pale skin is something to marvel over. And she does have a nice figure- very hourglass like. Wait, what am I even saying?

What you're saying is very simple: You like her.

No, I don't.

Denial… tsk, tsk, tsk. It gets you nowhere. Acceptance, well, that gets you somewhere.

I pull myself out of my inner debate with myself and quickly walk back to my study.

Pacing rapidly around the room, I begin to wonder.

Did I like Isabella?

All of the points brought up earlier were valid, and I couldn't deny those. And even my mate, Athenodora, thought that Isabella and I were meant for each other. My own mate- well, ex-mate- was pairing me up with another woman. And Marcus was hiding something and now that I thought about it, it was just too obvious.

Isabella and I were meant to be mates.

But she didn't know it, and that's what made me nervous. What is she didn't like me back? What if she hated me?

* * *

The next day, I visit Aro in his study. As soon as he sees me standing there, he gestures towards the chair opposite him, and asks without looking up, "What may I help you with, Brother?"

"May I let Athenodora go?" I ask.

"Sure."

"Wait… what?"

Amused, he replies slowly, "I said it's fine by me."

"But why? You're not this lenient...ever."

He pushes the book he was reading aside and looks at me. "You see, the other day, I accidentally brushed against Marcus's hand and saw some interesting bonds between some unexpected people. I think you know exactly what I'm talking about and I'm telling you this so you don't doubt a thing you decide or do: I approve. I hate to see two people pretend to love each other when they really don't. And I strongly believe in mates being the real thing."

I did know what he was talking about. If, at this point, I didn't know, I would be a really stupid vampire. "Thank you, Brother."

"It is my pleasure. Now, can I get back to my book?"

"Yes."

I walk out of his room and head straight to Athenodora and I's bedroom. I see her there, talking to Sulpicia, looking sad. They're murmuring things to each other quietly and I clear my throat. I really should've knocked, but it is my own bedroom. I didn't think I needed to.

They both look up, looking startled. Sulpicia gets up quickly, bows her head slightly at me, and then scurries away. Athenodora looks up at me, her big, crimson eyes wide with curiosity.

"Caius, you're not usually here at this time of day."

"I have something to tell you."

I sit down next to her and continue, "I know you requested your leave earlier today and I am granting you it. I finally understood what you said was… true and I understand that you want to find someone you love and that loves you."

She smiles softly and replies, "Thank you, Caius. You haven't been this gentle with me since our marriage day. She really has changed you for the better."

I nod and she continues, "Thank you for the past centuries. Maybe I'll see you again in the future. May Cupid be with you and Isabella."

"Thank you. I'll leave you alone now to gather your things and to say your goodbyes. I know you will be missed dearly, especially by Sulpicia."

"And I will miss them as well. Bye, Caius."

"Farewell."

I leave her room and notice that I feel no tears trapped in my eyes. Instead, I can't help feeling as if a weight has been lifted off of me.

She's a lovely vampire, but not for me.

I sigh and am about to head back to my study, where I could escape all the troubles of life, when Heidi hurries up to me.

"Aro called everyone to the throne room. It seems we have visitors."

Visitors? This should be interesting. I follow her to the throne room and enter, seeing everyone assembled there. I take my place on my throne and glance out of the corner of my eye. Isabella looks withdrawn. I wonder why? Could it be because of the visitors?

I ask, "Aro, who are the visitors?"

He sighs. "The Cullen's."

I growl. Edward Cullen was coming back and he was the one who hurt Isabella. I balk at my protectiveness of her. This was moving much too quickly.

Aro chuckles. "Don't worry. We'll talk to them and figure things out."

I turn away from him and glare at the doors.

They open as if in slow motion, and everything becomes silent. All previous chatter ceases. The Cullen's walk in, looking furious and determined. I take a look at Edward. He's glaring at the whole Volturi and evaluating their thoughts.

Aro seems to notice this and turns to Bella. He softly requests, "Bella?"

Bella nods and extends her shield over the whole Volturi. Edward momentarily looks confused before glancing accusingly at Aro. Aro smiles deviously and shrugs in return.

"We value our privacy and now that we have someone who can give it to us, we might as well use it," he says.

Everyone in the Cullen family growls threateningly and I laugh quietly. Edward glares at me- what a moody boy- and then turns to Aro.

"We know you forced Bella to join you."

And that's when I laugh, loud and clear. Everyone turns to me and I smirk.

"Tell them, Isabella," I lazily say.

Isabella looks annoyed- probably because Edward thought she actually wanted them to save her- and speaks, "You guys think they forced me to join? Ha! No, that's not the case."

"Once again, we're going to regret listening to Edward," the blonde haired girl, Rosalie, mutters while sighing.

The muscular one, Emmett, nudges her gently and she slumps forward, as if expecting the worst. What a smart vampire.

And then, Edward says something that makes Isabella freeze. "Bella, your eyes… they're red."

"It's not like you guys have clean records. It was just one human, and I'm not doing it again. You know what? I don't really feel the need to have to defend myself," she replies.

I look at the Cullen's. Carlisle looks disappointed, Esme looks surprised, Alice looks angry, Jasper looks... relieved- I wonder why-, Emmett looks confused, Rosalie looks uncaring, and Edward looks appalled.

Isabella glares at them, and her message is clear: Don't question it. Just keep your mouths shut.

And then she continues her previous thought, "Moving on, I came here on my own accord. You see, I moved on from you guys. I'm no longer the Bella that you used to know. I'm different now; stronger and better. You didn't need to come. It's just a waste of time for you."

Edward shakily replies, his eyes wide, "Bella, they have a vampire in their guard who can manipulate relationships, form relationships, and cut off relationships."

Bella snickers. "Did you forget I have a mental shield? Almost none of their powers has an effect on me. Or do you still remember me as weak… and foolish?"

Edward looks down. "I never thought of you in that way."

Isabella raises an eyebrow. "Really?"

Silence fills the air. No one speaks, awaiting Edward's response. But he doesn't need to reply. We all know the answer: he did think of Isabella in that way once upon a time ago.

"Do you still love me?" He asks, surprising me and everyone.

How dare he even ask her that? He left her, claiming that he didn't even love her anymore. He has no right to ask a question like that!

Isabella says one word that makes Edward's face crumple in pain. "No."

He murmurs, "You have to understand. Vera, the woman in the vision, had the power to seduce single, males, and I was under her power in the vision. As soon as Alice and I figured this out, we sent her on her way."

Isabella's strong demeanor falters before putting itself up again. "So, why should I care? I'm pretty sure her seduction wasn't the only reason why you liked her. And I'm pretty sure _Vera_ wasn't the only reason you left me."

He looks down at the floor and doesn't look back up.

Carlisle clears his throat and asks, "Bella, would you rather we left you here?" It's obvious that he doesn't want her to stay here, but knows that if his family tried to fight us, no one from that side would get out of here alive.

She nods, not looking at him. He closes his eyes and then opens them. He nods and says, "I extend our apologies to you. We didn't realize that Bella truly wanted to join the guard."

Aro smiles tightly. "It's fine, but next time, I request that you not barge in and threaten to take one of our own."

Carlisle nods again and gestures towards his family. They were leaving. They all sulk away, looking defeated. But before they leave, I hear the future-reading one mutter, "You're making a mistake, Bella."

Isabella answers quietly, "No, I'm not, Alice. I don't want to live with people I can't even trust will take my side when the time comes."

Alice looks at Isabella with puppy dog eyes and Isabella looks away, carefully avoiding them.

And then, they're gone. I sigh in relief.

I turn to Isabella, who looks triumphant and relieved. She explains, "I feel like they're finally gone from my life now."

I smile. "And thank God for that."

* * *

And that's that. I don't know if I'm that happy with this chapter, but I tried my best to make it flow. Oh, and Caius finally realized!

And here are your Blueberry and Chocolate Cheesecakes, and Johnny Rocket's strawberry milkshakes with McDonald'd French fries. I don't really know how Blueberry and Chocolate Cheesecakes taste, as well as Johnny Rocket's strawberry milkshakes, but they sound good.

Until next time, DayJune


	11. The Never Ending Interruptions

Thank you to everyone who reads, reviews, and follows this story~ we reached 90! Yay!

Requested by arayth3darkpr1nc3ss: Tickets to see Jane kick Demitri's butt at the bottom!

* * *

_Caius_

Isabella leaves, along with the rest of the guard and it's just Marcus, Aro and I. It's silent for a few minutes before I turn to Aro.

"I ended the deal with Isabella."

He raises an eyebrow and asks, surprise lacing his voice, "You were the one to surrender?"

I roll my eyes and nod. "Yes."

He murmurs, "Fascinating."

I take a quick peek at Marcus, who looks indifferent to my statement.

"I can't handle animal blood. It doesn't fulfill me."

Aro smiles. "And that was the only reason you chose to end the deal?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Well, I just felt it was better for the both of us. And I felt a bit guilty about having made Isabella do something that she would feel ashamed of later on."

"Ah, there's what I'm looking for."

"Why'd you let the Cullen coven go so easily?" I ask, still miffed about it. I had asked it to change the subject, but I was also genuinely curious. Aro rarely let a coven who went against us leave without compensation of some sort.

"They only came because they were under false information. They truly thought that we had kidnapped Isabella. Besides, I couldn't punish Carlisle and his family. No matter how idiotic they acted, he is still a close friend, and I wouldn't want to hurt him or his loved ones over such a trivial matter," he explains.

"They deserved more than a warning. The matter was anything but trivial." I mutter.

Aro laughs. "Feeling defensive of Isabella?"

I'm about to protest before I realize that Aro already knows how I feel and the relationship that would soon sprout between Isabella and I.

Sighing, I reply, "I suppose... I'm not in love with her, but I won't go against the fact that she is an interesting character, and I feel drawn to her in more ways than one. She is different from Athenodora, but I feel more attracted to her. I can actually carry an interesting conversation with her. Athenodora was too submissive, and she rarely voiced her true thoughts."

"I see..." he replies.

Suddenly, Marcus turns to us, and scolds,"Aro, you shouldn't have told Caius." His crimson red eyes are annoyed and he had a disappointed look on his face. It's nice to know that my brother's not a robot in disguise.

"And why not?" Aro inquires.

"You shouldn't interfere with love," Marcus shortly replies. I almost laugh at the irony of that statement, but covered the chuckle up with a cough. Aro had already interfered with love before, and it caused Marcus and his mate to break apart forever.

Aro shoots me a warning glare and then turns back to Marcus.

"He was bound to figure out soon, brother. And if he didn't get a confirmation, he'd never come to terms with it. I'm just pushing him… a little," Aro defends weakly.

Marcus sighs, shakes his head, and then resumes being bored with the conversation.

Suddenly feeling a bit insecure, I ask, "Do you think Isabella hates me?"

Aro laughs. "No, of course not. She doesn't know you enough to hate you."

"Well, that makes me feel better," I dryly reply.

I stand up abruptly and nod slightly at my brothers. "I'll be heading to my room now. I've got a painting to continue work on."

They both nod and then Aro looks questioningly at Marcus's hand. Marcus shakes his head. Aro pouts and Marcus tucks his hand into the folds of his cloak. I snicker as I imagine the look on Aro's face right now.

_Bella_

I was currently in my room. I still couldn't get over the recent visit. I'm just kidding, I was pretty much over it.

But the look on Alice's face was going to be burned into my mind for a while now. She had seemed so miserable.

Now that I really thought about it, I shouldn't blame her. It wasn't her fault that Edward influenced her in the worst ways. In fact, I should only be blaming Edward. But then again, they had a choice. And they chose the one that would hurt me. No, I couldn't forgive them. Besides, even if I did, how would I inform them? No, it was simpler to just acknowledge them as past enemies.

I lie down on my bed and sigh. A strand of loose hair flutters gently in the air before flying back down to my forehead. I stare at it and blow softly in it's general direction. It just fluttered back down. I mutter, "Behave."

Suddenly, someone laughs. I sit up quickly and hurriedly shove all loose hair aside. I clear my throat and cross my legs casually. I look up and see Jane standing in the doorway, smirking.

She walks in and plops down next to me. "I'm going to pretend I didn't see that, as that was one of the saddest things I have even seen before."

I scowl at her and she laughs again.

Then, her previously amused expression morphs into one of curiosity. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Why do you care?" I ask, dumbfounded.

She sighs. "God, are you ever going to answer a question without questioning the question first?"

"No, probably not. Anyway, seriously, why do you care?"

"You looked kind of freaked out back in the throne room. I would leave you alone, but I'm a curious person."

"Well, I guess I'm fine. I was just taken back."

"That's… good."

I ask, "Are you going to be here whenever you feel like I'm feeling down?"

She shrugs. "Most likely. I have nothing better to do with my time. It's pretty sad when I think about it."

"It is," I muse.

She gives me a look and I smile sweetly. "It really is."

"Whatever," she mutters. "Goodbye."

"Once again, thanks... I guess."

"Whatever."

She walks out and I smile lightly. I guess Jane wasn't such a bad person. She could possibly even be a future friend for me.

I kick my door shut and then plop back down on my bed. I hear a light knock and groan. Why was everyone bothering me today?

I open the door and find Caius waiting there.

"Come in," I dramatically tell him.

He walks in and leans against my vanity. He glances at me briefly before asking, "Was I interrupting something?"

"Yes, yes you were. And that's why I let you in." I sarcastically reply.

"In a bad mood right now?"

"I guess you can call it that."

"I guess I will. Anyway, the reason I'm here is to ask if you're okay. I was heading to my room and decided to stop by," he explains.

"God, I'm fine! I'm positively, absolutely fine! Why does everyone think I need comforting or something?" I shout, throwing my hands in the air.

He chuckles. "Who was it?"

"Who was who?"

"Who was the other person who came and asked you if you were feeling well?"

"Oh, it was Jane."

"Jane? Hmm, interesting.,."

"So, I assume you're feeling okay?" He adds as an afterthought.

"That's what I said," I pointedly reply.

He throws his hands in the air in surrender and replies, "Okay, okay. I'm going to go now."

"Fine."

He turns to leave but for the second time today, I call out, "Thanks."

"No problem."

And with that, he's out.

I sigh in relief and plop back down on my bed.

And then, someone else knocks on my door. I groan loudly and scream into a pillow. I then stand up, pat down my frizzy hair and open the door with a false grin on my face.

"Welcome to my room, the pit stop for everyone! What can I do for you?"

Aro, the one who had knocked, tilts his head to the side and asks, "Are you feeling alright, Isabella?"

I answer, "I'm feeling peachy. Now, why don't you come in?"

"Alright, this will be quick," he replies.

Aro glides in and takes a seat on my desk chair. I sit on the bed and he starts, "How's your stay at Volterra going?"

"Fine."

"That's wonderful. How do you like the other inhabitants?"

"They're fine."

"Any favorites?"

"I refuse to be biased."

"So, no favorites?" He hints.

"Why do you even care?"

"Just seeing who caught the interest of our Isabella."

"Fine, I guess I enjoy the companies of Felix and Jane. They're both hilarious."

He looks disappointed and I can't help but wonder why. Did he not want me to like Felix or Jane?

"Are there any in our little family that you consider pesky, rude, or anything negative?"

I think about this one. The first person that would pop into my mind would be Caius, but I wasn't so sure about that one anymore. I mean, when I first met him, he had come off as seeming arrogant, snobby, narrow minded, and rude. However, after having a few chats and discussions with him, as I seemed to get to know him better, he didn't seem as bad as I originally thought he was.

"No," I answer, finally.

He regains a cheerful expression. "That's wonderful as well."

"Sure it is."

"Alright, that's all I have to say," he says.

He leaves with a brisk wave and a smile on his face.

Finally, some peace and quiet.

* * *

I know, lame chapter. I just really wanted to get something out, so I just wrote this up. The next chapter's due date is still undecided. But it'll be reasonable.

Here are your tickets to see Jane kick Demetri's butt! Enjoy.

Until next chapter, DayJune


	12. A Painting of An Angel

Thanks for all the reviews, alerts, and favorites.

To Nooks and Crannies: I think you'll notice something I did within this chapter. It's small, but it just wrote itself down. And it's related to your username. It's kind of lame, I admit, but it was natural, not forced :)

Requested by Vampire's Best Friend: Tickets to see Bella fight Aro at the bottom! I think Bella would win. By himself, Aro is not extremely powerful... or am I wrong? Because Renata is his physical shield and everyone else protects him from further away. All he has is a mind reading through physical interaction ability, so... yeah. But then again, all Bella has is a mental shield... I'm going to stop ranting now.

* * *

_Bella_

It's been a week or so since the Cullen's have visited. After my little moody fit, no one questions my well-being and every conversation is light. It's like everyone expects me to be moping over the recent encounter with the Cullen's, but in truth, I'm over it and I was over it since the day it happened.

I was currently exploring the castle. At first glance, I thought that it was a downcast, dark place, but as I got to know it more, it slowly morphed into a comforting, mysterious place that I wanted to get to know better. I was a curious person and I wanted to discover every nook and cranny in this castle.

I had enough time to, anyway.

I glided along the hallways, greeting other vampires from the guard as I peered into each open room and wistfully glanced at the closed, locked rooms. I was about to head back to my room to spend another night bored with nothing to do, when I noticed a door at the end of the hallway. It was slightly ajar, and I could see faint light sprinkling out into the hallway.

I silently walk to the room and peer inside. The vampire had his back turned to me, but from the blonde-white hair, I could tell it was Caius. I look closer and realize that he was painting a portrait.

It was a portrait of a woman. I knew it wasn't Athenodora as I heard that she and Caius split recently. Although Athenodora was the one who requested it, Caius wasn't against it, or so I heard. Did Caius have himself a new lover, or was it just an imaginary woman?

I look a bit closer but it seems that a small portion of my clumsiness carried into my vampire life because I stumble over an object. I don't bother checking to see what had interrupted my sneaking, and just try to get out of the room as quickly as possible.

It seems that I'm not quick enough because as I turn around to leave, Caius grabs my arm, preventing me from escaping. I turn around slowly and smile at him innocently. I take a quick peek at the painting and see that it is covered with a white cloth. I groan. I'm getting in trouble for nothing.

"I thought this was the bathroom?" I offer. I silently curse myself. Vampires didn't go the bathroom, and besides, I had one in my room.

He narrows his eyes at me and hisses, "Take some classes on improvisation. What's your real reason?"

"I was curious. Who are you painting?" There was no point in making up another excuse. I'd probably come up with another stupid one like: I thought this was the kitchen.

He takes a peek back at the painting- probably making sure that it was covered- and curtly replies, "It's just a random woman I saw on the streets the other day through the window. It was one of those days… You know?"

He seemed almost… nervous.

"Umm, no, I don't really know," I reply, smiling.

He looks up at the ceiling in annoyance and I hide a grin. I glance around the room and see a myriad of paintings stacked or hung up around the room. Most are covered with white cloths, but some are proudly presented in open glory.

I raise an eyebrow and ask, "Can I look around?"

He pauses before answering, "Alright, but I'm warning you; I'm not that great."

"Sure…" I reply.

"Really!" he protests.

"So, after centuries, you're still 'not that great'?" I ask skeptically.

"You don't understand. Art is something that you cannot become good at just because you practice and try your best. You'll become decent and maybe you'll sell a few pieces if you're lucky. But the best artists are born with the natural talent. They are born with not only the ability, but the mental exertion needed to complete and work on a piece. True artists are born with many things that no ordinary person can imitate. I can't even list how many different attributes an artist has to have to make a genuinely wonderful piece."

I blink at him wildly and murmur, "Wow… okay. So, I'm going to look at your paintings now. Okay?"

He nods and watches as I walk towards the paintings that are revealed. My first thought is: He was lying before. My second thought is: Who cares if he was lying? These are amazing.

My eyes skim over them before settling on the one that seems to stand out to me the most. In it, the sun is rising over the ocean. It seems so realistic that I reach out towards the painting with a hand before quickly withdrawing my hand. He might be one of those artists that hate when people try to physically interact with his works.

It's definitely a cliché image but one certain something from this painting really catches my eye. It's so miniscule that anyone but a vampire wouldn't be able to spot it. In the corner, standing on water, is a vampire with a halo of blonde hair surrounding her pale face. She's wearing a white, long, satin dress and her arms are spread out wide. Her eyes appear to be closed, but even my vampire eyes cannot tell whether she is or not. She looks like an angel, but I know that it's Athenodora.

I don't know why, but it bothers me that Caius put his previous mate inside of such a magnificent painting. Couldn't it have been an anonymous woman with, I don't know, brown hair? God, I'm becoming such an arrogant person.

I turn away from the painting and exclaim, "You were being modest. Your paintings are beautiful."

He smiles shyly and I'm taken aback. A shy Caius? Wow, this day just keeps on getting weirder and weirder.

"Thank you, but you are exaggerating."

"No, I mean, look at this painting. It's fantastic."

I point to the painting with Athenodora and he nods. "Ah, I created that when Athenodora and I were still in our younger moments as a couple and that feeling of newfound love was still hanging in the air. You see, I wanted to make a typical, largely overused painting idea and make it something special. However, in order to see what's so special about it, you need to look closer."

I nod and look back at the painting again. "Athenodora looks gorgeous; just like an angel."

"I over emphasized her beauty."

"Caius!" I shout while lightly slapping him on his arm.

"What?!"

"That's just mean."

"How?"

"Ugh… men," I mutter.

He rolls his eyes subtly, but I still catch it. I sigh. That would've been a perfectly nice conversation. Then he had to act like a fool and ruin the peace.

"Okay, thanks for letting me look… Bye."

I wave once awkwardly and spin around.

I hastily walk out of the room and literally run out of the room. As soon as I reach my room, I plop down on my bed and take a deep breath in. That was incredibly odd. I was probably bringing this out of proportions, but it seemed weird that Caius didn't kick me out as soon as he saw that I was snooping around and invading his privacy.

He probably just didn't have enough energy to kick you out, so he just resigned to letting you look around. Yes, that sounds reasonable. It was probably that.

I lie down and think about nothing until sunlight filters through the sky-blue curtains. I then sit up and put a comfortable outfit of jeans and a tank top on. I put on the Volturi cloak and the pendant, and open the door.

I expected to see an empty hallway, but instead, I see a smiling Felix and an excited looking Demetri. I cautiously back away and ask, "What's up?"

Felix laughs. "Don't look so scared."

"That makes me feel even more terrified," I counter.

"Aw, don't be like that Bella. We're just here to deliver some exciting news!" He says with a pout on his face.

I sigh and walk forward again. "What is it?"

"Gosh, so hostile…" Demetri mutters.

"Fine, fine, calm down, I'll hear you out."

"Alright, Aro requests that we teach you how to combat in case we're in a situation where you're one on one with a vampire. I'm guessing that the Cullen's didn't bother teaching you how to fight?"

I try and remember if they did. Hmm, I guess they didn't. They only taught me how to hunt and defend myself but in very simple, basic terms. I guess I really did need lessons…

"No."

"I knew it. They're just a bunch of peace-making, lame wimps," he crows.

Laughing, I reply, "That's nice, Felix. Now, when do we start?"

"Later on today. Go hunting first. You're going to need the energy, especially when you're versing me," he boasts proudly with a cheeky grin on his face.

I raise an eyebrow in question and he explains, "Can you not see my muscles? One of the reasons why I got into the Volturi was because of my awesome offense skills, but not ability-wise. I can kill a vampire in seconds, easily. Even the strongest ones don't stand a chance. I'm quick, agile, and strong. You won't ever beat me, even when I go easy on you. You might stand a chance against Demetri, however," he says with a smile.

Demetri protests, "She's a beginner! She won't be able to beat me for at least another century."

"More like another decade," Felix mutters.

"Shut it."

I laugh and they stop their silly banter to look at me. They grumble and walk out of the room. I close the door behind them and squeal in anticipation. Fighting classes! Finally, something will happen in this boring castle.

* * *

Here are your tickets to see Bella fighting Aro! Have fun... I know I will.

Ugh, I just can't seem to expand the chapters to at least 2000 words. This one was 1926 words... So close!

Just got to say: I had trouble coming up with this chapter and was having some serious writer's block as to how to follow the Cullen's exit from the story, which is why this took longer than usual. Sorry, guys.

Anyway, until next chapter, DayJune.


	13. Embarrassing Fights

We reached 100 reviews! When I saw my review count, I literally squealed out loud. Those who read my profile know that my previous goal for this site was to receive 100 reviews for at least one of my stories, and now, it happened! I'm floating on air right now. Thank you so very much. Although 100 reviews is not much in the Twilight fandom, it means so much to me as a writer who doesn't get a lot of response for her stories.

Once again, thank you.

I've been receiving quite a few requests for the 'yay, you reached the bottom!' gifts, and I'll be sure to get to all of them, but not all in one chapter, of course. So, you'll definitely see yours in another chapter if it's not in here.

At the bottom: Ice cream cake, requested by a guest. Yum, that's the only type of cake I like. And I only like the ice cream part; not the icing/frosting. Yes, I am a horrible person for not liking cake.

* * *

_Bella_

After hunting- Aro granted me permission to drink animal blood-, I dressed up in more appropriate attire for a work out, because lord knows that fighting Felix and Demetri will be a serious workout.

Wearing sweats and a t-shirt hidden underneath the uniform cloak and pendant, I eagerly awaited Felix and Demetri. And before you wonder where in the world a random outfit has appeared from, the outfit was the one I wore coming here. Now that I thought about it, I really needed to go shopping. While I did have a uniform, everyone wore a regular outfit underneath the cloak and pendant, and took the cloak and pendant off when they were in their rooms, or were going outside of the castle. (Except for when Heidi went fishing for humans.)

I was literally bouncing up and down on my bed- that's how much I was anticipating this. Being a vampire was quite dull.

And I'm saying that as someone who was changed a mere year ago. When you have all the time in the world, for some reason, you tend to do everything at one time and leave nothing for the rest of eternity. That's what happened to me. When I was first changed, I spend the first few months perfecting hunting and learning basic physical combat skills. I also spent a lot of time with Edward and Jacob, who visited the Cullen house often, although Sam was strongly against it.

Then, for the rest of the first year, I did everything and anything I hadn't been able to complete or simply start as a human. I learned college material although I couldn't actually go to college, for obvious reasons. I was eager to at least be smarter than the average college student, and within months, I had gone through everything that I felt I needed to know. I also did daring, bold things such as learning to pilot a plane and versing lethal, deadly animals in tropical forests. I was on a high and Edward, Alice, Esme, Carlisle, and Emmett were getting a laugh out of it. Rosalie was just incredulous of my childish enthusiasm at the time.

So by now, I have completed a whole bunch of things and simple things seem boring. And to add on to that, I don't have to bathe, eat, or do any other human activities, granting me a lot of free time that I don't quite know how to spend.

Therefore, combating other vampires seemed like a whole, new path for me to walk. With the Cullens, I didn't really think of fighting and what I meant by basic combat was simple things such as learning how to take a head off, which came instinctively anyway, and the rules of fighting strong, human blood drinking newborns. There was rarely hands on experience. The most I've ever gotten was hand wrestling with Emmett, which wasn't so dangerous.

And to top it off, the Cullen family was pretty peaceful and they each hosted calm personalities. And I don't mean calm in the 'quiet and still' way. I mean, look at Alice! She wasn't quiet or still. I meant quiet as in the 'dislike violence' way. Esme and Carlisle were perfect examples of that. As for Jasper, although he used to be in war and had battle scars all over him, he wouldn't outright fight another vampire unless he was being threatened. And even then, I couldn't help but wonder if he wouldn't give the vampire a second chance. Alice… well, she was boisterous but I knew she was not violent. I did see Edward killing off Victoria, but generally, he was the silent type. He only killed when necessary, making him similar to Jasper. Emmett liked a fight. But killing? I doubted that he could do that with a smile on his face. And Rosalie… well, she was one that I could question. When I first met her, she looked like she wanted to murder me.

Emmett and Jasper were questionable, too, when it came to violence, but none of the Cullen's came close to the Volturi members' thirst for action.

The sound of knocking permeated the air, jerking me out of my deep pondering. I had to muffle a squeal of excitement as I bounded over to the door. I calmed myself and opened the door with a neutral expression on my face.

Felix had a grin on his face and Demetri was smiling a darker grin.

"You ready?" Felix asked, rubbing his hands together.

I couldn't help myself from smiling widely and answering, "Let's go!"

They both chuckled simultaneously and I narrowed my eyes at them.

"You're laughing now, but when you guys lose to me, you won't be so giddy."

"Like you're going to beat us," Felix laughed out.

"What? You don't think I can beat you, Felix?" I questioned with my hands on my hips.

"Frankly? No," Felix answered.

"Whatever, we'll see," I replied arrogantly, shoving them aside to walk out of my room.

* * *

I take back what I said about me winning. In fact, I take it back and throw it underneath an oncoming train. I take it back and toss it away into the ocean.

Because I had been so wrong. I had won zero fights out of thirty six fights, each, against Felix and Demetri. The first fight I lost against the both of them, I shrugged it off with an "I'll beat you next time." I said this for the next nine rounds I fought for the two of them, each. However, by the tenth game, I stopped gloating and just accepted the fact that winning a game would be a miracle. And miracles rarely happen.

We had drawn in a crowd by the fifteenth game and everyone was laughing at me. It wasn't malicious laughter with cruel intent, or so I hoped. It was happy laughter, but I still loathed it.

It was now the thirty seventh round against Felix and I was tired. Not physically tired, but tired of losing. I would give up, but it had only been half an hour since we started. Yes, that's right. Within thirty minutes, I had lost 72 rounds. That's how quick the rounds were. That's how easily they beat me each time.

I took a quick glance at the stands that were pushed against the side of the 'Training Room' or so everyone liked to call it. Almost the whole main guard and the three leaders were being entertained by these sad excuses for fights.

Jane was smirking at me; mocking me. I almost sent her an evil eye but controlled myself. Caius was snickering. He was doing it quietly, but all of us vampires heard his sinister chuckling. Marcus wasn't smiling, as he rarely, almost never, did, but I could see a glint in his eye that I've never seen before.

Everyone else was chuckling loudly and freely.

I was _so_ glad that I was making them happy.

I sighed and turned back around to face Felix. He was grinning a cheesy smile and he waggled his eyebrows.

"How are you holding up there, Bella?" He taunted.

"Fine," I replied with gritted teeth.

"It's a good thing you're not a sore loser."

"It really is," I muttered.

And then, the fight began. He shot towards me and I stepped aside quickly. I decided to go for it. I mean, what did I have to lose? My pride?

Too late… I lost that a while ago.

I charged at him from behind, but once again, he did his special move. He twirled around, leaped over me, and then pinned me down from behind. I groaned as it dawned on me. I had lost yet another match. Cheering and laughter erupted from the 'audience' and I hid my face.

This was incredibly embarrassing. Felix got off of me and extended a hand towards me. I playfully ignored it and bowed down to him.

"I surrender for today. You won all the games and proved my earlier statement false. Now, I'm going to go and forget this ever happened." I then turned to Demetri and added, "That goes for you as well."

I quickly walked out of the room.

Before leaving, I glance back at Felix, curious as to what his reaction to my little speech was. He was smiling, as expected, but I identify something else that confuses me. He looks almost… apologetic. And maybe just a bit concerned?

I was hallucinating. Why would Felix feel sorry for beating me countless number of times? He lived for showing off his abilities in combat. Because he didn't have a talent, this was the only way he could prove his worth. I dismiss the thought.

I run back to my room, take the cloak off and stare at the empty closet.

I mentally grumble: You would think that they would be smart enough to get me some clothes for me. I paced around my room rapidly, now over lack of clothing. I had to get the both of them back. Honestly, my pride had been crushed to nothing, and that was not okay with me.

I would go along with my lessons as planned with the two of them. I was pretty sure not all lessons would be like the one I had with them today. Today, they were just testing me- seeing what my ability was. It was kind of like an evaluation.

Now that they knew how bad I was, they would try and teach me as much as possible in the future. I would drink in these lessons and get as much out of them as I possibly could. And meanwhile, I would practice by myself. Before they knew it, I would be better than them.

I giggled as I realized how devious I sounded at the moment. And then I full out laughed at how revenge thirsty I always was at the Volturi. It was quite comical.

I hear my door opening and quickly stop my laughter.

Jane. Of course.

"What do you want, again?" I ask.

"Well, like I said before, whenever it seems like you're feeling pretty down, I'll be here to comfort you while laughing at your pathetic self," she replies bluntly.

"Oh, well, thank you! I appreciate your kind words and background snickering."

"Whatever, now what were you laughing at?"

"Nothing."

"Just tell me. I expected to find you in a trodden state, but instead, you're cackling like a creep. I deserve an explanation, seeing as how I came here for no reason."

I have got to think up an excuse. Knowing her, she'd probably tell everyone of my plan, and every time I practice by myself, I'll have an audience.

"I was just laughing at how you guys didn't even supply me with clothing. I mean, did you guys expect me to wear the same outfit every single day?"

I secretly crossed my fingers, hoping she believes the lie. For the first time in my life, I told a lie that actually made sense, and sounded pretty realistic, so I was feeling pretty confident.

Much to my relief and delight, Jane nods slowly and then perks up immediately, making me wonder what has got her so happy all of a sudden.

"We can go shopping together! Aro usually trusts me enough to allow me to go to different malls, so he'll let me take you!'

My mouth drops and my eyes grow wide.

"What?" She asks.

"Well, I guess I didn't take you as a shopping, girly girl type."

"What? Just because I'm sort of rude sometimes and rarely laugh, and look pretty scary automatically makes me a tomboy? Um, no. I might have lived for centuries, but I'm still a 13 year old girl. And I still have some 13 year old hobbies, such as shopping. I can seriously take you."

"Um… sure."

She squeals and on her way out, she murmurs, "The limit is usually $45,000. With that, we can go to maybe 60 stores. Most likely less…"

I immediately regret accepting. If she was anything like Alice when it came to shopping, I'd willingly die. And judging from what she just said, she was.

I'm a dead vampire.

* * *

Here are your ice cream cakes. Enjoy!

Okay, so some lighthearted stuff for the next chapter, and this chapter was pretty lighthearted as well; no angst and drama. I know this seems like a dramatic story, and I assure you there will be a lot of drama, but I believe that there must be balance in any story. Or the readers will become overwhelmed.

Thanks for reading and see you next time,

DayJune


	14. Shopping

Here's chapter 14! Just a quick note: I'll be gone for the next week for vacation, so I won't be able to update until then. Additionally, school is starting again soon, so updates won't come as frequently. I say this, uncertain and unsure. Who knows? They might come more frequently but I don't think so.

Anyway, at the bottom: Caius v.s Aro v.s Marcus tickets on request of Flaperlump. My opinion on this fight? Caius wins everything.

* * *

_Bella_

The next morning, someone knocks on my door. I gulp. It was most likely Jane. I trudge over to the door and open it slowly.

"Hey, about that shopping trip. I can't go on it with you. You see, I have combat lessons with Felix and Demetri," I tell her, pretending to be apologetic.

She smiles evilly. "Oh, don't worry about that. I told them that I was taking you shopping today and that you would have to be excused."

Oh, well there goes my 'genius' plan to get out of shopping. I clear my throat and smile sweetly at her. "Alright... that's absolutely, positively fantastic. Let's go, shall we?"

She smirks and walks down the hallway. I follow her dejectedly, feeling more like a puppy than anything. We head outside. Jane chose the right day. It was downcast and drizzling. Darn it, there goes Plan B.

"Isn't it a lovely day?" She asks.

"Sure is," I reply.

"There's a car waiting in front for us. It'll take us wherever we want to go."

She leads me to the gate. We open it and step out. There, waiting at the side of the road, is a limo. The driver tips his hat towards us and opens the door for the two of us. Jane walks by him and right into the car, but I take a moment to thank him. For a moment, he's surprised, but he then replies with a nod and a warm smile.

As soon as we're in the limo, I turn to Jane and ask, "Is this all necessary? Firstly, we're merely going shopping. Secondly, there's only the two of us. We don't need a limo. We could have taken a car."

"I always take a limo to go shopping," she replies dismissively.

"Not the point," I mutter. "But anyway, did Aro like this idea?"

"Yes. He believes that as a young girl, I need to have more fun. I usually scoffed at the idea. I mean, who in the castle was fun to hang around with? Renata refuses to leave Aro's side, the wives are too boring- all they do is sew, gossip, and laugh-, Alec is a boy and refuses to be caught shopping in women stores and that goes for the rest of the masculine gender as well, Heidi always attracts too much attention, making it hard for us to actually shop, Chelsea downright despises anything girly and chooses to spend her moments testing her abilities and such, and the secretary is a human. But as soon as you came along, I finally had someone that would playfully banter with me, have some interesting chats, entertain me, and like now, go shopping with me." Towards the end, she looks down at her feet and carefully avoids eye contact with me.

A timid Jane? This was new.

I gently tap on her shoulder and she looks at me. "It's nice being your friend, too, Jane. You should open up more like this. Then, you'd have even more friends," I suggest.

She shrugs and then regains her perfect composure. "So, what stores first?"

* * *

The first store we visit is Victoria's Secret. I had been washing my undergarments by hand for the past weeks or so and it was getting pretty worn down and downright uncomfortable to wear. Afterwards, I let Jane drag me around to random stores. All the stores sold merchandise made of leather, silk, or satin, and the colors they came in were usually limited to pale blue, pale pink, beige, peach, black, white, and brown.

In the stores, I just let Jane shop for me. Meanwhile, I lounged around on those sofas that you sat on to try on shoes. I wasn't actually trying on shoes, so I usually received dirty looks from the store workers. However, no one approached me because of the voices in their heads warning them to stay away from me.

After shopping for everything I needed, Jane called the limo driver and before I knew it, we were driving back to the castle.

The atmosphere was silent, making things a bit awkward. I decided to ease the awkwardness by thanking Jane. I didn't quite want to but it was the proper thing to do.

I murmur, "Thanks, Jane."

"No problem, I guess."

I secretly smile at her response and settle back down into my seat.

We pull up to the castle and she helps me carry my bags up to my room. Then, she leaves. I unpack everything on my own and close the closets, taking a deep breath in.

Today wasn't that bad. Jane didn't make me look with her, unlike Alice, who would pester me constantly, insisting that I see 'this gorgeous dress' and that 'limited edition handbag'. Plus, it was pretty hilarious seeing Jane shout at the store clerks when she heard that something she liked wasn't available in size. It was also fun seeing other peoples' reactions to a 13 year old shopping in lingerie stores and adult stores.

I guess you could say that just for today, I didn't mind shopping.

* * *

Here are your Caius v.s Aro v.s Marcus tickets.

Ugh, that was a really short chapter. It didn't even reach 1000 excluding the author's note. However, it reaches 1000 with the author's notes so I guess it's fine.

Anyway, I have a couple of things to say/rant:

1. This document kept on closing by itself without me saving it, while I was writing it, so I had to rewrite it about 3 times. It was annoying...

2. I don't actually know if there is a Victoria Secret's in Italy (there probably is, but I didn't research on it).

3. Did you like the Bella and Jane friendship moment?

4. I'm exposing a new side of Jane. Stephenie Meyer didn't really go into depth with Jane and her inner character, so I'm literally building off of nothing here, and I'm trying my best.

5. Lastly, if you have requests for 'yay, you reached the bottom' goodies, do tell! I have a small list going, and I'm willing to add more to it.

Finally that long author's note is over, so until next time,

DayJune


	15. A Smile a Day, Keeps Bad Memories Away

Hello! I know it's been forever since I've updated, and I apologize for that. I have nothing more to say on the matter too formal.

Anyway, I'm reading the Mortal Instruments series, and I'm quite taken with the books. I'm almost done with the 2nd.

Here's chapter 15. For those that are curious, I'm estimating that this story will end on the 36th chapter, which will be the epilogue. I know this because I made a basic outline for the whole story, and I just need to type up the actual chapters...

Just warning you guys: there will be a lot of drama, action, and angst ahead.

Anyway, at the bottom: s'mores, requested by a guest.

* * *

Bella

I was currently practicing by myself in the training room. Today's lesson with Felix and Demetri had been incredibly helpful, and I was just practicing the material I had learned today.

Obviously, I couldn't do much by myself, but I could master the motions and learn new concepts on my own.

I was kicking the air repeatedly when I heard movement by the doors. I immediately stopped my practicing and spun around to see who was there.

When I saw the culprit, I was taken aback. Standing by the doors, was Marcus. He coughed uncomfortably and raised an eyebrow.

"May I?" He asked while gesturing towards the inside of the room.

I nodded quickly. "Of course."

I sat down on the bottom row of the stands and he joined me.

"Do you need anything from me?" I inquired, feeling a bit nervous.

"I originally stumbled across you practicing as I was making my way to my room. I was intrigued and stayed to watch. I'm sorry if this was something you wanted to keep a secret," he apologized.

"No, it's fine. I don't mind you knowing... But I would prefer if you kept this to yourself," I requested.

"I can do that. Now, may I ask what you're doing here? I thought that you were being trained by Felix and Demetri," he questioned, tilting his head to the side to emphasize his curiosity.

"Well, I was a bit embarrassed about losing 73 times, you see. So I decided that I should not only receive training from them in the mornings, but also I should additionally practice by myself in order to get better quicker. That way, I could beat them both and regain my lost pride."

He nodded thoughtfully. "Isn't it difficult to practice fighting by yourself?"

"I guess you could say its more difficult than practicing with somebody else, but it's better than nothing."

He stared off into the distance for a moment before shaking his head slowly. He then looked up at me and asked, "Do you like Felix and Demetri being your trainers?"

I quietly muttered, "Not after they beat me so many times."

I then told him in a louder manner, "Yes, they have such... lovely characters."

"Hmm, a sore loser, are you?" He said while smirking amusedly.

"No! Well, maybe just a tiny bit... But you would be feeling pretty down if you lost that many times. It's insulting. And to add on to my misery, I had a whole audience watching me and snickering," I insisted weakly.

"I guess in that case, I would be a sore loser as well. But I would go about it quietly, or so I hope I would. Anyway, Isabella, I have an offer for you."

Before he could continue, I sighed. "Please, call me Bella. I swear. Only about two people in this castle are calling me that, and it bothers me. Bella is what I'm used to being called. Plus, Isabella sounds so stuffy, and I'm only 18. And now that I think about it, Isabella is so much longer than it needs to be."

He quirked an eyebrow and nodded slowly. "I would've complied with your wishes without you going off on a whole speech."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes. Why would I lie about that?"

"I don't know. It's just that no one wants to even when I ask them to in this place. It's new for someone to actually listen to my requests."

"Well, I'll gladly call you Bella. Now, can I continue with my previous offer?"

Embarrassed, I nodded. He continued, "Wonderful. Now, I understand that you want some peace but I wouldn't mind helping you practice when you're alone. I really don't have much to do and haven't had much to do since Didyme passed away. I wouldn't mind."

As he mentioned his wife, his eyes went a bit dull and I knew I couldn't take too long to answer. Or he'd be sucked into the black hole he's almost constantly in. I didn't know what brought upon this change and interest in me, but if it cheered him up a bit, I'd gladly accept his help.

But just for the sake of politeness, I asked, "Are you absolutely sure? I mean, I wouldn't want to intrude on your free time."

"I'm sure. What else could I possibly do in my free time?"

"Alright, thank you," I replied gratefully.

He didn't answer but, instead, stood up and dusted himself off. He offered a hand and I took it, genuinely surprised at his behavior. It's not that I expected him to have a rude persona, but I didn't exactly expect for him to talk to me and even to offer his time to me. I didn't expect for him to want to spend time with me.

I guess I just considered him as someone who didn't care about life in general, and didn't really see others as actual people. I guess I thought that he just saw through everyone and just sat on the throne everyday to just sit... Not actually give his opinions.

I guessed now that I was actually a part of the Volturi, I was discovering everyone's hidden personalities.

My thoughts were interrupted when he announced, "First, let's fight."

And he lunged at me. Not knowing how to react, I just ducked down, covered myself up with my arms, and squealed like a baby. I was such a wimp.

I looked up to see Marcus staring at me. And he was smiling. Yes, I was seeing correctly. There he was, smiling. Has the world ended? Okay, I was being a bit over-dramatic but this was rare. I really wished that I had a camera right now.

I decided not to show my shock, because then, he'd probably realize what he was doing, and stop.

Instead, I glared at him playfully. He smirked while still smiling (miraculously).

"Are you okay, Bella? You seem a bit scared."

I rolled my eyes and stood up nonchalantly.

"Oh shush. I wasn't scared. I was just a bit surprised. What else was I supposed to feel? You just jumped at me randomly and I'm still a beginner!" I defended myself weakly.

He stared at me a second, smile still there, before gaining a serious expression. "This alone tells me that'd you be terrible in an actual fight. You need to have good instincts to be a good fighter, and if I'm standing right in front of you and I suddenly come at you, you need to know how to respond to it in the best way possible. And the best response wouldn't be to curl into a ball and squeal like a newborn pig."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Can we just please get over that little episode back there?"

"It's a bit hard to forget. It was quite hilarious," he answered.

If he smiled, it was probably more than just 'quite hilarious'. It was most likely majorly funny. The thought of how funny I must've looked made me internally groan. How embarrassing!

"Whatever. Can we please continue on with the lesson?" I muttered.

He nodded. "Okay, so first lesson: be aware. You don't know who's going to come at you, and where that person is going to come from. You need to keep an eye out, always. If you're fighting someone, make sure that you're at an angle where you're sure no one can come from behind you and where you can see all of the directions. If you can't get into that position, kill the opponent quickly and then spin around to fight anyone who was sneaking up on you."

The rest of the lesson was just like this. He gave me advice and I gratefully took it. I didn't originally think it, but Marcus had an inner warrior inside of him or something of the sort.

At the end, I bid him farewell and walked back to my room. That lesson was certainly helpful. I didn't want to compare this class and my other class, but I would anyway.

Marcus's class was just a wee bit more helpful. It was because he gave me tricks and blatant tips. He only practiced with me for the last five minutes. The first 55 minutes was used up with him teaching through verbal language.

Meanwhile, with Felix and Demetri, it was the opposite. They would use the first 5 minutes giving tips that weren't that useful and then the remaining 55 minutes would be used fighting. And I would always lose because I didn't confidently know what in the world to do. I think they were just too excited or action to actually teach. Marcus was a true combat coach.

I took a quick shower just to waste time and changed clothes.

Marcus was turning out to be quite an interesting person.

* * *

Here are your s'mores. Enjoy!

So, we are seeing some more of Marcus. To those who really want to see some Caius/Bella banter and budding romance every chapter, I'd like to remind you of the genres: romance and family. Although drama and angst is a huge aspect as well as hurt/comfort, I chose family because I want Bella and the Volturi to get close as a family, and get to know the other more than on the acquaintance level. But I assure you that there will be a lot of romance in the future chapters. Just hold on tight, stick with the story, and you will get results.

Anyway, after that somewhat long authors note, I bid thee farewell. Too formal. I'll just end the usual way. So...  
Until next time, Dayjune (wow, i just realized, right now, that saying that makes me sound like a superhero that's leaving a scene where he just defeated the hero as the audience is cheering as he flies off into the sunset. Wow, long sentence. Anyway, bye!)


	16. Author's Note

**This is not a chapter. It is merely an author's note.**

Alright, here goes.

I will be editing this story thoroughly, fixing grammatical mistakes, spelling errors, awkward phrasing, and so on. I do not feel like I can go on until I'm fully satisfied that all 15 chapters are revised.

By the way, I will be getting rid of the whole: prize on the bottom, and so on.

This will only take a week or so; maybe even less.

Nothing much will change, concerning plot.

Additionally, I extend my sincerest apologies about the lack of consistent updating. Possibly, after the editing, I can update more often. However, that is not set in stone. School takes up much of my time, and outside of school, I have many other obligations, as well.

Another note: I changed my username recently from DayJune to Estella Claire, so don't be confused when you don't see the latter next to the story title.

Thank you for your patience.

May we meet again in chapter 16.

- Estella Claire


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